NEW YORK
Ret. General Khalifa Haftar’s mobilization of Libyan National Army units in May against ‘terrorist’ groups has raised doubts on the country’s ability to move towards democracy, the Head of UN Support Mission in Libya said Monday in New York.
“The crisis which has dominated the political scene for the past few months poses a threat to the country’s political transition,” said Tarek Mitri, the UN Secretary General’s special representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). He said that the possible use of force may have disastrous consequences for the country.
According to the UN, Haftar blamed groups he labeled as ‘terrorist” for “violence and targeted assassinations” in Benghazi and other areas in eastern Libya.
Libyans continue to face a turbulent democratic transition since the toppling of Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi in 2011, and “significant security developments,” particularly in the eastern part of the country, continue, Mitri said.
He said the UN has “redoubled its efforts” to urge all parties in Libya to relieve the “prospect of a protracted conflict.”
The UN will host a meeting with all representatives with the aim of forging an agreement on Libya’s national priorities.
He also told the UN Security Council that with the UN’s technical support, the country’s election commission will prepare for the election of the 200-member Council of Representatives that will succeed the General National Congress of Libya where 1.5 million registered voters will vote in the elections scheduled for June 25th.
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