Tripoli based Libyan prime minister, Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba, hit back at the opportunistic ”warmonger” House of Representatives Speaker Ageela Saleh last Monday (19 May).
Salah had backed the Tripoli demonstrators who had called for Aldabaiba’s downfall, offering support to the people of Tripoli. ‘‘We stand with our people and our people in Tripoli and their legitimate demand to overthrow the expired Government of National Unity’’, Saleh said.
But Aldabaiba reminded that ‘‘warmonger’’ Saleh had supported Hafter in his destructive war on Tripoli.
‘‘The warmonger who claimed responsibility for the aggression against Tripoli is speaking today about peace in Tripoli with a face that knows no shame
Before you pay lip service to Tripoli, turn to the exhausted parliament you lead, which lacks a quorum or real legitimacy
Turn to your absent representatives. At the very least, condemn their kidnapping and disappearance. Speak to their families and tribes about their fate, for the looming truth will not and will not forgive your silence about them’’, Aldabaiba said in his reply.
Saleh had said ‘‘Today we meet at a pivotal moment when we must stand up for truth and justice away from settling political, regional, and personal scores.
The financial expenditures of the expired Government of National Unity contrast with the scale of the projects it has accomplished.
We stand with our people and our people in Tripoli and their legitimate demand to overthrow the expired Government of National Unity, in accordance with the House of Representatives’ decision.
The expired Government of National Unity was built on falsehood from the moment it was chosen in Geneva, and the Libyan people and the international community were witnesses to this distorted and suspicious choice. It did not stop at offering advice, counsel, and opinions, discouraging the commission of grave errors, corruption, and tampering, until we were forced to take Resolution No. (10) of 2021, withdrawing confidence from the Government of National Unity and deeming it a caretaker government.
The expired Government of National Unity (GNU) has been ineffective for the House of Representatives for three years, for several reasons, including its abject failure to be a government of national unity.
The expired GNU intentionally and premeditatedly deepened the institutional divide and worked to widen the gap and undermine trust among Libyans.
The expired GNU implicated the Libyan state in international contracts, commitments, and positions that undermine national sovereignty.
The expired GNU legitimized outlaw armed militias and supported them with Libyan funds.
The expired GNU resorted to creating clashes between militias in densely populated areas, endangering the lives and property of citizens.
The expired GNU abandoned its duties and responsibilities in supporting the High National Elections Commission and was one of the main reasons for the failure to organize the simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections in December 2021.
The expired GNU sought to confuse the situation and spoil the general atmosphere in order to remain in power.
The expired Government of National Unity shed the blood of Libyan demonstrators despite warnings issued by the House of Representatives, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, and Libyan society.
The use of live ammunition against peaceful demonstrations is a crime punishable under Libyan and international law. It is an aggressive and backward act that fundamentally contradicts our values and morals. Its perpetrators must be held accountable and tried.
What happened in Tripoli over the past two days is a tragedy and a crime by all standards. It deviates from the path of wisdom and reason. Those who contemplate terrorizing, intimidating, and killing their own people have no right to lead them.
We meet today under the dome of the House of Representatives. We must all shoulder our national responsibilities and fulfil our legislative duties to avoid a power vacuum in Western Libya.
We must, as soon as possible, choose a Government of National Unity from among the candidates for this position, whose applications are being reviewed and vetted by the committee.’’
