EU congratulates new Libyan government

BRUSSELS

The European Union welcomed on Thursday the approval of a new Libyan government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah.

“This is a historic opportunity for Libyans to come together in a joint effort to rebuild their country as peaceful, stable, and united and restore Libya’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the bloc’s foreign ministers wrote in a statement.

They also applauded “the efforts of all involved to come together in the spirit of national unity and reconciliation” and urged stakeholders to ensure a timely transfer of power transfer to Dbeibah’s government, as well as supporting the election organization.

EU's top diplomats approved the new government’s efforts to appoint women in political positions.

At the same time, they suggested the new government should reform the security sector by dismantling militias and unifying armies.

They said foreign intervention in Libya is unacceptable and a UN arms embargo needs to be respected, as well as provisions of a cease-fire on the withdrawal of foreign fighters.

Libya's parliament granted a vote of confidence to Dbeibeh’s new unity government on Wednesday by 132 votes of 133 lawmakers who attended the session.

Dbeibeh proposed a unity government of 27 members on Saturday, promising that it would prioritize "improving services, unifying state institutions and ending the transitional period by holding elections."

Rival political groups agreed on Feb. 5 in UN-mediated talks to form an interim unity government to lead the country to elections in December, where Dbeibeh was designated as prime minister and tasked with forming a new government.

Libyans hope it will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011.

The war was exacerbated when warlord Khalifa Haftar, supported by several countries including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia, and France, carried out a military onslaught to topple the Tripoli-based internationally recognized government for control of the North African country.