Roundup: Int'l community urges quick implementation of Libyan Political Agreement amid increasing terrorist attacks

The United Nations and countries around the world have strongly condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a security training center in Zliten, Libya, urging to implement the Libyan Political Agreement.

A car bomb killed at least 30 and injured over a hundred others on Thursday at the Coast Guard camp in the outskirts of Zlitan, some 150 km east of Tripoli.

A suicide bomber drove a fuel tanker on Thursday morning into the camp, where around 400 policemen were assembled, and then detonated the bomb.

So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, however, social media widely speculated that the Islamic State (IS) terror group was behind it.

The members of the UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned the terrorist attack, as well as the recent attacks on Libya's oil infrastructure by a group that has claimed allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

Also on Thursday, a suicide car bomb killed at least four people, including a child, in Libya's northern oil port of Ras Lanuf. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Libya has been suffering a security vacuum since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is now plagued by extremist groups loyal to the IS, which were emboldened by political divisions and lawlessness there.

The council urged all parties in Libya to join efforts in combating the threat posed by transnational terrorist groups exploiting Libya for their own agenda, while calling on all Libyan parties to urgently implement the Libyan Political Agreement and work swiftly towards the formation of the Government of National Accord that "will work for the benefit of all Libyans."

The members of the Security Council also underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Friday said the international community should keep a clear strategy in Libya, and avoid undertaking "rushed actions" in the war-torn North African country.

"Libya is not a stage where to flex muscles," Gentiloni told state broadcaster RAI Radio 1, when asked about the possible international community's response to these latest events.

"A military action might appear as justified in this moment. Yet, it would not leave on the ground what Libya is in real need of, which is the beginning of a stabilization, but rather create more confusion," Gentiloni said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned the deadly terrorist attack, as well as the ongoing attacks by Daesh affiliates on oil facilities near Sidra, in central Libya.

He deplored the attempts by extremists to strip these natural resources from the Libyan people. Daesh is also known as IS or ISIL, the extremist group.

"These criminal acts serve as a strong reminder of the urgency to implement the Libyan Political Agreement and form a Government of National Accord. Unity is the best way for Libyans to confront terrorism in all its forms," he said.

The secretary-general renewed his call on all political and security actors to create a conducive environment for the government to assume its responsibilities.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on Thursday issued an official statement to condemn the suicide bombing in Libya.

Mogherini expressed the urgent need for unity in Libya through the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement reached last December.

The UN-brokered agreement was achieved between two rival Libyan parliaments, the internationally-recognized Council of Deputies in Tobruk and the self-proclaimed Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC), in order to stop the fighting and form a national unity government.

According to the agreement, the participants in the Libyan dialogue will form a unity government to put an end to the violence and political chaos in Libya.

Yet, tension in negotiations remain, and it is feared a mid-January deadline to form such a government might not be met.

"The quick implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement will be instrumental, so that a Government of National Accord can be established as soon as possible, to defend all Libyan citizens," Mogherini said.

"It will also help preserve Libya's resources, defeat terrorists that want to undermine Libya's prosperity, and restore stability and security throughout the country," she said.

Libya has been suffering a political crisis with two rival parliaments and governments battling for legitimacy amid a state of insecurity and anarchy years after the downfall of the late leader Gaddafi. Endi