(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
The Libyan Justice and Building (LJB) party made a statement on Monday rejecting an attempted coup by the General National Congress (GNC).
Khalifa al-Ghwell, chairman of the Government of National Salvation which is derived from the former GNC, stormed the headquarters of the Supreme Council of State at the Rixos Hotel on Friday with local militias. The Supreme Council of State, was one of the outcomes of the Libyan political agreement which signed in December 2015, and was originally made up of members of the GNC.
In an interview on Sunday with Alarabiya Channel, Al-Ghwell said that the Presidential Council has done nothing good for the people of Libya and that he would be taking back his job.
Despite being included in the Supreme Council of State, the GNC has rejected the Skhirat agreement and said that it did not serve the goals of the revolution.
LJB emphasized in its statement the need to allow “the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord (GNA) to fulfill its role in order to achieve the interests of citizens in all parts of Libya.”
“We renew our support of the Libyan political agreement, and the by-products of the agreement,” said the statement. “We call on all parties and institutions to support the implementation of the terms of the agreement, which provides for the establishment of a civil state and ending state divisions and fragmentation.”
Although Al-Ghwell previously stated that he will not negotiate with Haftar, he made a statement this weekend saying the GNC is negotiating with Abdullah Al-Thani, who is a staunch supporter of Haftar and requested the creation of a united government.
Al-Thani is the head of the interim government which is loyal to the House of Representatives, the eastern parliament based in Tobruk that has yet to be granted legitimacy in accordance with the Libyan political agreement.
Martin Kobler, the UN’s special envoy to Libya, said he condemned “the attempt to seize the headquarters of the high council of state. Such actions … will generate further disorder and insecurity and must end for the sake of the Libyan people.”
The Justice and Building party expressed its appreciation to the UN for its support and asked for the enforcement of Resolution 2259, a United Nations resolution that recognized the authority of the GNA, which was unanimously passed.
The Justice and Building party also requested the UN “take a clear stance on countries that support impeding the implementation of the Libyan political agreement.”
In a video statement released on Monday, the Libyan army, also known as Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous, condemned and rejected the GNC’s attempted coup in Tripoli and the members of the Presidential Guard who supported the GNC.
“The Presidential Guard has got itself in places that does not fit as it announced its rejection of the Libyan Political Agreement signed in Skhirat last December,” said the Libyan forces. “No forces or parties have the right to plot a coup on the legitimacy of the Libyan Political Agreement and the GNA.”
The European Union and the African Union have also released statements condemning the attempted coup.
Moreover, Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq met with the head of the Presidential Guard Najmeddin Al-Nakoa on Sunday to discuss the structure of the Presidential Guard, as reported by a Libyan news agency.
Maiteeq also discussed the current security situation in Tripoli and other legal issues in relation to the attempted coup.
According to the news agency, Maiteeq reemphasized that “there is no substitute for the establishment of official state institutions, especially the army and police force.”