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By Libya Herald staff.
Tunis, 14 January 2016:
The Presidency Council, headed by prime minister-designate Faiez Serraj, has appointed a temporary team to . . .[restrict]ensure the planned national unity government can go to Tripoli and remain there in safety. The 18-member body is headed by Brigadier-General Abdurrahman Attawil and Major-General Hamed Abud and comprises both army and police officials. It is now cooperating with UN special envoy Martin Kobler’s military adviser General Paolo Serra who has already been working with militias in Tripoli, Misrata and Zintan to get the government into the capital.
Attawil was appointed as a military commander in Sebha after the revolution and most recently has served as a logistic and support commander for the army head linked to the Tripoli regime.
Officially, the team’s main objective is to ensure that Libyans can move freely throughout the country. Its focus is not just Tripoli but making sure that all Libyan towns and cities are safe.
The Presidency Council has also announced that it intends to ban all officials in state institutions who do not submit to its authority or take decisions that create financial obligations to the Libyan state.
For his part, Kobler has called on all Libyan players to collaborate with the team, warning that those who do not would be sanctioned. “Any efforts aimed at hindering the work of these institutions would only contribute to worsening the situation in Libya and those would be held accountable for obstructing the peaceful transfer of power,” he said.
“I call on all Libyans to unite behind the Government of National Accord (GNA) and institutions that stem from the Libyan Political Agreement,” he stated, adding that he also welcomed the decision about banning public officials not cooperating with the GNA.
Meanwhile, Libyans and others are waiting to see if the Presidency Council manages to appoint the planned Government of National Accord (GNA) by Saturday, the deadline set under the Libya Political Agreemnt signed in Sklhirat last month and subsequently endorsed by the UN Security Council. A number of advisors to Serraj have told the Libya Herald that he and the council are determined to stick to the 16 January deadline. Others, however, have said that he intends to take at least 10 more days, possibly longer.
If announced, the House of Representatives is supposed to meet and vote on the GNA by 26 January.
In a related move yesterday, the nine-man council met with members of the Libyan Dialogue that appointed them to assess the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement signed so far and the challenges ahead. [/restrict]
