UN envoy arrives in Libya’s Misrata to promote roadmap

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame arrived Tuesday in the Libyan city of Misrata for an unannounced visit during which he plans to promote a political “roadmap” for the troubled country's future.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), of which Salame is the head, said via Twitter that Salame had arrived in the city to meet local officials with whom he planned to discuss his political plan.

On Monday, after meeting Salame in capital Tripoli, Fayez al-Sarraj, head of Libya’s UN-backed unity government, reiterated his commitment to supporting the UN’s ongoing efforts to achieve peace in Libya.

In September, Salame unveiled his roadmap for resolving Libya’s longstanding political crisis, which calls for holding presidential and parliamentary polls within one year.

The plan is ultimately aimed at establishing a “unified, representative” government within the framework of a 2015 political agreement -- that has since been slightly modified -- between the country’s rival political camps.

Libya has remained dogged by chaos and political uncertainty since 2011, when a bloody uprising led to the ouster and death of longtime President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

The ensuing power vacuum swiftly led to the emergence of several competing seats of government -- including one in Tobruk and another in capital Tripoli -- and a plethora of heavily-armed militia groups.