The US Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya, Richard Norland, stressed the need to focus on the electoral process in Libya, stressing the possibility of holding elections before next June if Libyan leaders reach settlements to the crisis.
In his interview with CNN, Norland said that any Libyan leaders who are seen as disrupting the electoral process realize that they will have to be held accountable by the Libyan people, noting that the challenge now is to set a new date for the elections and not to surpass it again, as happened with the date of December 24, stressing that the date should not be delayed for a long time so that the Libyans would not lose their faith in the entire electoral process.
Norland explained that Williams is leading efforts to restore things to normal, and to hold elections according to the time frame set by the roadmap of the dialogue forum, which ends next June.
Norland stressed that only Libyans can decide whether they want a person wanted by the International Criminal Court, in reference to Saif Gaddafi, or someone who launched a military attack on the capital, Tripoli, in reference to Haftar, or someone who pledged not to run, to be the president of their country, in reference to Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba.
In a related context, Norland stated that Russia has legitimate interests in Libya, but the Wagner mercenaries had a destabilizing and dividing role for the country, which confirms the need for all foreign forces and mercenaries to leave.
Norland indicated that some Sudanese mercenaries have already left the country, stressing the United States’ support for the efforts of the United Nations in this file.
