Libya’s unity government Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah says he was unaware of any understanding between Russia and Turkey on a withdrawal of their foreign fighters, but that such a move would be welcomed.
Speaking in New York, Dbeibah also said he was committed to holding elections on Dec. 24, but warned that some lawmakers may be reluctant to give up power.
Dbeibah, a businessman appointed interim prime minister in February, said he has not yet decided whether to run for office.
Libya has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, then head of state.
A U.N.-led peace process brought a ceasefire last summer, after fighting between rival factions paused, and then a unity government.
Following a U.N.-backed conference in Berlin last month, German and U.S. officials said Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Libya, reached an initial understanding
Russia’s deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the Security Council on Thursday that Moscow supported a “step-by-step phased withdrawal of all foreign forces and contingents.”
“At the same time, we need to make sure that the current balance of forces on the ground not be disrupted, because it is thanks to this balance that the situation in Libya remains calm and no threats of armed escalation emerge.
Addressing the Security Council, Dbeibah said the continued presence of foreign fighters poses “a real and serious risk to the current political process and it also threatens the efforts to continue the ceasefire” and to uniting the army in Libya.
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