CAIRO — The United Nations secretary-general has welcomed an agreement between rival Libyan leaders to hold elections. The agreement came in a meeting Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates’ capital between Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, head of Libya’s U.N.-recognized government in Tripoli in the west, and Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the commander of Libya’s national army which dominates the east. In a statement late Friday, Antonio Guterres commended both parties’ ”agreement on the need to end the transitional stages in Libya through the holding of general elections.”Hifter and Sarraj had agreed to a Paris-brokered deal in May 2018 and hold a nationwide election by the end of the year. Libya slid into chaos after a 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Moammar Gadhafi. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: Washington Post March 02, 2019 10:07 UTC