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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 13 January 2017:
The House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk was quick to condemn the opening of an unsanctioned Tripoli HoR branch by a block of its members.
In a statement released yesterday, HoR Tobruk condemned the opening of the Tripoli branch ‘‘under the authority of armed militias’’ and considered the action as ‘‘illegal’’ adding that ‘‘no decision had been taken by the HoR (Tobruk) on it’’.
It condemned its ‘‘ramification on the unity of the country’’ and ‘‘placed full, legal, moral and historical responsibility of this irresponsible act before the Libyan people on those who took this action’’.
HoR Tobruk underscored that any decisions emanating from this ‘‘illegal branch are null and void, built on false foundations’’ It warned all state and private institutions from dealing with this branch in anyway whatsoever.
It will be recalled that yesterday, a group of HoR members who fully support the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) and its Presidency Council and Government of National Accord (PC/GNA), opened a Tripoli branch of the HoR.
These are mainly the HoR members who support the GNA and have been trying for a year to organize a quorum in the HoR in Tobruk to approve Prime Minister-designate Faiez Serraj and his designated GNA.
The HoR, however, has failed – refused – to approve any government proposed by Faiez Serraj since 2016. The international community considers this action as deliberate political obstruction to the agreed LPA, which is backed by a UN Security Council resolution, and imposed sanctions against HoR president Ageela Saleh and others.
The move to open a Tripoli branch by HoR members in support of Serraj and his designated government is an attempt to break the year-long HoR political impasse: A political impasse that is threatening to take Libya to the brink of total social, political and economic collapse.
