By Moutaz Mathi.
Tripoli, 24 August 2016:
The Presidency Council led by Faiez Serraj has said that it accepts Monday’s vote by the House of Representatives rejecting the current Government of National Accord (GNA) and will draw up a new list of ministers for its approval. However, it also stated that it was in the public interest that the current ministers continue in office in a caretaker role until the new government is voted on. In a conciliatory move, it said it welcomed the move by the HoR, stating that the parliament played a crucial role in implementing the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA).
The HoR voted by 61 to 1 to reject the GNA, demanding that the Presidency Council submit a new list with just eight ministers within ten days.
In today’s response, the Presidency also repeated its call for its two boycotting members, Ali Gatrani and Omar Al-Aswad, to rejoin their colleagues, something HoR President Ageela Saleh also urged them to do on Monday. Two weeks ago, the Presidency gave both men a deadline of one week to rejoin or it would ask the Libya Dialogue members to replace them.
Backing for the Presidency’s position has come from UN Special Envoy Martin Kobler who had earlier tweeted urging “to work quickly on a GNA cabinet” to submit to the HoR. This, however, was then deleted and replaced by one saying that he fully supported the Presidency’s statement and its decision to work with the HoR and the State Council for urgent implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement.
He also tweeted urging the HoR “to remain within the framework of the LPA and relevant security council resolutions”, that it was “imperative” that Aswad and Gatrani rejoin Presidency Council immediately and work for Libya’s stability, and that the “GNA should continue to perform duty until vote of confidence ist granted by the HoR”.
US Special Envoy Jonathan Winer and British Ambassador Peter Millett also tweeted their support for the Presidency Council.
