Libya announces new unity government

TUNIS: Libya’s Presidential Council announced a new government on Tuesday aimed at uniting the warring factions, though two of its nine members rejected it in a sign of continuing divisions over its UN-backed transition plan.

The West hopes the new government will deliver stability to Libya, deeply fractured since Muammar Gaddafi’s fall in 2011 and tackle a growing threat from Islamic State.

Though EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the announcement “an essential step”, critics say the agreement was forced through too quickly without all groups being evenly represented.

Only a unity government, Mogherini said, would be able “to end political divisions, defeat terrorism and address the numerous security, humanitarian and economic challenges the country faces”.

One council member pulled out, saying eastern Libya was not properly represented, while media cited disagreements over the size of the government.

The council had delayed its announcement of the new government by 48 hours without giving a reason.

Since the summer of 2014, Libya has had two rival governments and parliaments, operating from Tripoli and the east.

Both are supported by loose alliances of armed rebels who once fought Gaddafi.

Late on Monday, one of the council members who did not sign the document naming the new government, Ali Faraj al-Qatrani, announced he was withdrawing, saying eastern Libya was under-represented and there was not sufficient support for the armed forces allied to the eastern government. – Reuters