Libya national conference to be held as set: UN envoy

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Libya's UN-backed “national dialogue” conference will be held as scheduled unless "compelling circumstances" force its postpone, the UN envoy said Saturday.

"Convening the conference in these conditions is tough but we have the desire to hold it as scheduled in mid-April, unless compelling circumstances force us to postpone it," Ghassan Salame said at a news conference held in capital Tripoli.

Salame pointed out that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was surprised by the military escalation and informed all sides that the UN urges return to the political peace process.

On April 14, a UN-sponsored “national dialogue” conference will be held in the western city of Ghadames with the ostensible aim of hammering out a political “roadmap” for the country’s future.

On Thursday, Khalifa Haftar, commander of forces loyal to East Libya-based government, launched a military campaign to recapture Tripoli from UN-backed Government of National Accord forces.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat