Bashagha backs truce.. Washington on line to end Tripoli build-Up
The American Embassy in Libya confirmed what was published that a truce agreement was reached between armed groups in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Ambassador Richard Norland, the US envoy to Libya, said he held consultations with all parties on the latest developments in the capital, Tripoli, including a conversation with House-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha.
In a statement, Norland praised Bashagha’s readiness to calm tensions in the capital Tripoli and to seek to resolve the current political dispute through negotiations, not force.
Libya’s stability and unity can only be maintained through dialog and respect for the right to freedom of movement throughout the country, Norland said.
The information office of the new Libyan government said that the government continues to perform its tasks and to complete all arrangements for its work to begin in the near future.
The office also noted that the force that headed today to Tripoli is an insurance force and not a war force, stressing that it has returned to its former headquarters, provided that the outgoing government stops any measures related to the closure of the airspace or any obstacles that contravene the law.
The preliminary agreement was reached between armed groups in the west of the country to stop the increasing military build-up in the capital, Tripoli.
The sources said that the reconciliation committee, which is composed of social and military mediators in western Libya, was able to reach an agreement in principle to stop the escalation in Tripoli, return the military columns to their barracks and positions, and refrain from any war in the capital and from interfering in political affairs.
This comes hours after military build-up in Libya’s Tripoli to secure the entry of the Libyan government led by Fathi Bashagha into the capital and a counter-alert by various armed groups with different loyalties, which has caused concern among the UN mission, the US embassy, and other local and international human rights organizations.
