By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 7 March 2016:
In upbeat mood, prime minister-designate Faiez Serraj has told heads of state and government attending . . .[restrict]the Islamic summit in Jakarta that plans to install his national unity government are moving in the right direction thanks to growing public concern over the threat from the so-called Islamic State (IS).
“I assure you that the political solution to the Libyan crisis is on the right track in spite of all the difficulties,” he said in his summit speech. That was because Libyans now understood there had to be compromise in order to work together to fight the common enemy – IS.
Ignoring pessimism elsewhere about the chances of getting his government approved by the House of Representatives and installed in Tripoli, he thanked countries that have backed him and the UN-brokered Libyan Political Agreement (LPA), calling on them to continue doing so.
“We expect a continuation of this support and trust that it includes helping prevent the flow of these terrorists to Libya and the arming of any group outside the legal framework” – a clear reference to militias and military structures linked to the Tripoli regime.
He called on the Islamic world to provide the necessary expertise to build Libyan state institutions, including the military, He urged it to fight terrorism and also prevent the division of Libya.
Serraj is due to visit Riyadh on his way back from Indonesia to discuss possible Saudi support for his government. A leaked letter from the Saudi Foreign Ministry to the Libyan Ambassador in Riyadh indicates that Serraj himself requested a meeting with King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Ibn Nayef and other leading members of the Saudi government.
Meanwhile it is reported that members of the Libya Dialogue which produced the LPA are to meet in Tunis on Thursday to discuss the possibility of using the recent statement by some 100 members of the House of Representatives endorsing the unity government as tantamount to formal approval. [/restrict]
