The head of the Libyan Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, called for an internal political dialogue that excludes those involved in bloodshed, and called on the international community to support the elections that may be organized in Libya, warning in the meantime that the violations of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar may lead to military confrontations.

During his speech yesterday via video at the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly, Al-Sarraj said that his country is looking for strong support from the international community for the success of the elections, reiterating his demand to speed up agreement on a constitutional base and organize presidential and parliamentary elections.

And he stressed the need to accelerate the resumption of political dialogue between the various Libyan political forces, except for those involved in the bloodshed of the Libyans, in an implicit reference to Haftar, whom Al-Sarraj had repeatedly described as a war criminal after his bloody attack on Tripoli and other cities in western Libya.

Two delegations from the High Council of State and the House of Representatives meeting in Tobruk (eastern Libya) recently held a dialogue in the Moroccan city of Bouznika that ended with an agreement on criteria and mechanisms related to assuming sovereign positions in the regulatory institutions.

The two sides are supposed to seek, during talks in Switzerland, to come up with an agreement to reconfigure the presidential council established by the 2015 Skhirat Agreement.

Members of Haftar's forces, west of the city of Sirte (Reuters)

Violations, confrontations, and


in his speech at the United Nations, the President of the Libyan Presidency Council called on the international community to translate its positions in support of the ceasefire agreement in Libya into practical steps that oblige the other party to return mercenaries to their countries and reopen the oil installations that Al-Sarraj said were closed at an external instruction.

Al-Sarraj denounced Haftar's forces' violations of the ceasefire that has been in effect for a month, and warned that this would lead to military confrontations, and the Government of National Accord forces had previously accused Haftar's forces of bombing their positions west of Sirte (450 kilometers east of Tripoli).

He said that the Government of National Accord welcomed the announcement by political leaders from eastern Libya that it would support the ceasefire and the reopening and operation of oil fields and ports, but he stressed that there was no response from the armed groups and militias affiliated with what he described as the aggressors, referring in this context to hostile statements by Haftar's spokesman. And violations by Haftar's forces supported by mercenaries.

Al-Sarraj also denounced the continuation of foreign interference in his country, and said that an elected national unity government could end the division and economic and living crises, indicating in the meantime that his government fulfilled its promise that the aggressor would not enter Tripoli, in reference to Haftar.

Last week, Al-Sarraj announced his readiness to hand over power at the latest at the end of next month to a new executive authority that dialogue between the Libyan factions could lead to.

For his part, the head of the Supreme Council of State, Khaled Al-Mashri, stressed that the dialogue tracks must be complementary, not contradictory, and ultimately lead to a permanent state of stability through the referendum on the constitution, holding presidential and parliamentary elections, and ending the state of division.

Al-Mashri stressed, during a phone call with the US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, the importance of an immediate resumption of oil production and exports, and ensuring that a card is not used for political blackmail.

For his part, Norland emphasized that the views in the recent dialogues - which took place between the parties to the Libyan crisis in Bouznika, Morocco and Monteiro, Switzerland - are close in most of the files that have been discussed.

The ambassador expressed his country's keenness for the success of these dialogues, which he said should be consistent with the Security Council resolutions and the efforts of the UN mission in Libya.

Oil installations


On another topic, the head of the National Oil Corporation in Libya, Mustafa Sanallah, emphasized adherence to the importance of the security of oil installations, and said that the lifting of the status of force majeure is linked to the security situation.

Sanalla added that follow-up and evaluation processes are continuing in all oil installations to ensure the existence of public safety requirements, and the absence of any foreign or local elements that pose a danger and threat to the safety of workers.

He also stressed that worker safety is a top priority for the organization.

Armed clash


On the other hand, a policeman was injured yesterday in a clash with light weapons on Dubai Street in Benghazi (eastern Libya) between two armed groups loyal to retired Major General Khalifa Haftar.

Local sources confirmed that one of the two groups is led by a gunman called Faisal Esnindel, who is close to Mahmoud Al-Werfalli, a leader in Haftar's forces, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The sources said that the cause of the clash was personal problems between the leaders of the two groups, and explained that the city witnessed security tensions.

Sources told Al-Jazeera that the police withdrew completely from the area where the clash took place, after one of its members was injured.