Off the wire
• Chinese vice premier sees great potential in co-op with Israel  • Ireland's residential property prices up 8 pct on yearly basis in Feb.  • UN sets up Trust Fund in support of victims of sexual exploration, abuse  • Roundup: UN relief leader warns of "dire" humanitarian conditions in Syria despite greater aid access  • EU-India summit focuses on counter-terrorism, economic cooperation  • Security Council renews mandate of UN mission in DRC amid rising political tensions  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. stocks extend gains after Fed Chair Yellen's dovish speech  • Norway hails agreement on starting negotiations between Colombian gov't, ELN  • Ireland issues first 100-year note  • Burundi's human rights commission releases 1,058 inmates in 2015: report  
You are here: 　 Home

Britain welcomes arrival of Libyan Presidential Council in Tripoli

Xinhua, March 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Britain on Wednesday welcomed the arrival of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj and other members of the UN-backed Presidential Council to the capital city of Tripoli.

Serraj, also head of the Presidential Council, arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday from Tunisia by sea with some other members of the council.

"The arrival of the Presidency Council in the capital of Libya is an important step towards the establishment of an effective Government of National Accord to heal the divisions in Libya and bring peace and security to the Libyan people," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Wednesday in a statement.

Hammond added that Britain stands ready to "respond positively to requests for support and assistance from the Government of National Accord to help them restore stability to Libya, rebuild the economy, fight Daesh and tackle the criminal gangs."

"I call on the Libyan people to give this Government of National Accord their full backing to help them deal effectively with the many challenges they face," he urged.

Tripoli is controlled by the so-called Libya Dawn militias, a coalition of armed groups that have taken over the capital in 2014 and brought back the expired General National Congress (parliament), creating the current political division of the country.

The Presidential Council and the government of national accord are the result of a UN-brokered peace agreement between Libya's political factions. However, the unity government faces rejection from both competing authorities in Libya. Endit