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Presidential council sole body to nominate members of Libyan unity gov't: UN envoy

Xinhua, October 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

The six members named to the Presidential Council are the sole team to nominate other members of Libyan unity government, the UN Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) stressed here on Saturday.

Head of UNSMIL Bernardino Leon said in a statement that the other names he listed as potential members of the government and other state institutions are suggestions made by participants in the Libyan Political Dialogue.

"Only the Presidential Council shall decide on whether or not to accept these suggestions," he said.

Leon also emphasized the discussions to name candidates for the Presidential Council were transparent, giving an opportunity to Libya's internationally recognized House of Representatives (HoR) and the General National Congress (GNC ) to propose each a deputy prime minister.

Leon announced late Thursday the formation of Libya Unity Government and proposed Fayez Sarraj, a lawmaker from HoR, as its prime minister.

In addition to Sarraj, the Presidential Council includes Ahmed Meitig, Fathi Mejbari, and Musa Kuni as deputy prime ministers, and Mohammed Ammari from GNC and Omar Aswad from Zintan as senior ministers.

UNSMIL also proposed 17 names to be included in the unity government and two candidates for chairmanship of the National Security Council and the State Council.

Libya, a major oil producer in North Africa, has been witnessing a frayed political process after former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled during the 2011 political turmoil, as two rival parliaments vying for power and several groups have been fighting for control of national resource wealth.

On Monday, Leon resumed talks with the Libyan warring parties, two weeks after the negotiations were adjourned for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

At the closing of the last round of talks, he insisted that the final deadline for signing an agreement not go beyond Oct. 20, when the mandate of the HoR expires.

A UN-brokered Libyan political agreement was initiated in July by the Tobruk-based HoR along with representatives of political parties, municipalities and civil society groups, but the GNC did not join the accord. Endit