Roundup: Europe keen on ending Libya crisis over refugee crisis, IS threats

European foreign ministers and envoys are visiting the Libyan capital Tripoli to offer support to the UN-backed unity government.

The visits raised a question about the significance of the European support to the new Libyan government before it is granted approval by the House of Representatives (HoR), which failed to hold a session on Monday to vote on approving the government.

"The majority of HoR members approve the government, and the country cannot afford to waste more time to work on issues such as economy," said a HoR member Faraj Abdulmalek.

He said that these visits are a clear message to all Libyan parties that the government's appointment is unquestionable, and granting approval of HoR to the government is merely a legal procedure.

"The European and international support reflects the keenness of the neighboring countries to end Libya's institutional division," Abdulmalek added.

The government of national accord was named based on a UN-sponsored peace agreement signed by Libya's political rivals late last year in Morocco.

According to the agreement, the government will lead a maximum two-year transition that ends with legislative elections.

Jalal Fitori, a law professor in Tripoli, said that the visits prove that the new government receive wide attention, revealed by the 100 million euros (113.76 million U.S. dollars) offered by the Europeans to support the Libyan institutions.

"A satellite meeting will be held to discuss the government's support program, and the political scene in Libya will change as soon as the government is approved by the parliament," Fitori said.

"The opposed HoR members have made themselves vulnerable to international dictates, after the two months of the HoR's failure to hold a voting session, which made the Europe and Libya's regional counterparts impatient," he added.

This argument was confirmed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault during the meeting of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, when he said that the approval of the government is necessary to stabilize Libya.

He told reporters after the meeting that Libya's HoR must approve the new government, as the country cannot afford more division and increasing threat of terrorism.

Moreover, Fitori explained that the visits of the European officials also reflect Europe's desire to stop migrant flows from Libya, and to counter the threat of the IS.

Majda Fallah, member of the recently formed Libyan Higher State's Council, said that the government has a great chance to succeed if it utilizes the western support.

The Higher State's Council is an advisory body that was formed based on the UN-sponsored peace agreement. Endit