At the “Stabilization Conference” held in Tripoli on Thursday, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah stressed his administration’s support for the Dec. 24 elections.
“Since assuming office, we have been clearly committed to supporting the High National Elections Commission to hold the elections on time, and to stress that the Government of National Unity came to achieve stability and peace in Libya after years of political division,” Dbeibah said, adding that he spares no efforts to unite the country’s institutions.
“We managed to agree that development, providing basic services, and achieving citizenship and justice are key to the stability of Libya and unity of its people under elected civilian political leadership, which is what we will achieve through the upcoming elections.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Najla Mangoush stressed the importance of the Stabilization Conference and expressed hope that it would be the basis of the country’s prosperity.
“Our gathering here in Tripoli… is the biggest support to our journey towards building a state of justice, tolerance and freedom,” she said and emphasized that those goals can only be achieved if foreign actors commit to fully respect the non-interference principle.
“Deterrence policies should be applied for those who intend to intervene in the sovereignty of another State,” Mangoush said in direct allusion to the presence of thousands of mercenaries and foreign troops in Libya.
Since the assassination of President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been suffering a permanent civil war. In an attempt to resolve this situation, Dbeibah’s government was selected in February by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF).
The Tripoli-based “Stabilization Conference” seeks to become a mechanism for reaching lasting agreements between political forces. This event has the presence of representatives from countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Kuwait, the United States and Germany. Among them is the Arab League Secretary Ahmed abul Gheit.
