US Special Envoy to Libya calls for elections to resolve the political crisis

Libyan Cloud News Agency – Tripoli

The US Special Envoy to Libya, ​​Richard Norland, held a press conference at the headquarters of the High National Elections Commission in Tripoli on Thursday.

Norland said that he had met with senior Libyan officials during the past three days to discuss ways of holding the elections. 

He confirmed that the head of the High National Elections Commission, Imad Al-Sayeh, assured him of the commission’s readiness to hold elections in the event of consensus on a constitutional basis, noting that they continue to focus on reopening the American embassy and having a permanent presence in Tripoli, Benghazi and Sabha.

Norland described the presence of two governments as a complex issue that can only be resolved by holding elections.

In his responses to journalists’ questions, the US envoy stressed that the focus should be on the elections and laying down laws and a basis for them, rather than focusing on new transitional stages.

In the same context, Norland stated that they are keen to know the perpetrators of crimes in in Tarhuna and the fate of MP Siham Sergewa, stressing his country’s support for the departure of foreign forces from Libyan lands and the importance of unifying the army.