UN offers mediation in Libya to form joint constitutional committee after swearing in of parallel government

The United Nations’ top official in conflict-scarred Libya has offered to mediate between political rivals in a renewed push for long-delayed elections, warning against “escalation” after a parallel government took office. Stephanie Williams’ call [...] came a day after the country’s eastern-based parliament swore in a prime minister in a challenge to interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah – a move observers fear could tip Libya into a new schism. Williams, UN chief Antonio Guterres’s special adviser on Libya, warned in a series of tweets that “the solution to Libya’s crisis does not lie in forming rival administrations and perennial transitions”. She said she had asked the eastern-based House of Representatives and the High Council of State (HCS), an upper house based in Tripoli, to nominate six delegates each to form a “joint committee dedicated to developing a consensual constitutional basis”. According to Williams, once the politicians appoint a committee, it would meet on March 15 under UN auspices for two weeks, to work towards a constitutional framework for elections.
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