UN envoy to Libya denied flying to Tripoli

UN special envoy and head of UN Support Mission in Libya, Martin Kobler, said on Wednesday that he was denied flying to Tripoli by the capital's self-proclaimed government.

Kobler said in his Twitter account that he had to cancel a trip to Tripoli. He said his visit was aimed at "paving the way for peace."

UN has been stressing that the new government of national accord must move to Tripoli and start its work.

Libya suffers a political division with two rival parliaments and governments, in the east and in the west, since the so-called Libya Dawn militias took over the capital in 2014, and revived the expired General National Congress parliament.

The new UN-backed government has been named based on a UN-sponsored deal signed by Libya's rival political factions.

Fayez Serraj, the new government's prime minister, said his government will be in Tripoli in a few days. Serraj revealed that there was plan to facilitate and secure the government's move to Tripoli.

However, Serraj's government faces opposition from both administrations. The internationally recognized authorities on Friday warned against "imposing the unity government" before the approval of the House of Representatives (parliament) is granted, claiming that such a move would deepen the political crisis of the country.

Tripoli's self-declared government also rejected the government, saying in a statement on Tuesday that "a government imposed from abroad without the consensus of Libyans has no place among us."

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. The country is plagued with insecurity and increasing domination of extremism. Endit