The United Nations Support Mission in Libya welcomed the House of Representatives’ decision to accept the consensual formula to amend the political agreement signed by different Libyan factions in 2015.
In the meantime, a warning made by National Army Commander Marshal Khalifa Haftar to intervene militarily in case negotiations fail remains in place.
Spokesman for the Libyan National Army Brigadier Ahmad al-Mesmari told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the deadline set by Haftar has not passed," but he refused to give further details.
In a press conference held in Benghazi, Mesmari revealed that officers and military commanders who have met recently in Cairo, have reached an agreement that the head of state would be the "supreme commander of the armed forces.”
In this context, the UNSMIL media office explained that it had submitted the latest version to the House of Representatives and the Council of State, based on the deliberations of the Joint Drafting Committee in Tunisia.
The parliament voted overwhelmingly during Tuesday’s session to approve the unified formula for the amendment of the political agreement presented by UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame.
Salame submitted a proposal to give the title of supreme commander of the army to the new head of the executive authority.
Mesmari explained that this deal is the result of previous talks among military commanders, revealing the arrangements for a fourth meeting among army officers in the Egyptian capital, but he did not specify its date.
“The people have been suffering from the paralyzed institutions, and the military institution will unite for the benefit of the homeland, and no party should be held accountable for the failure of the intervention of the army in the political dialogue,” said Mesmari.
The unified formula approved by the Libyan parliament includes 12 clauses on the amendment of some points of the Skhirat Agreement concerning executive power, which will consist of the Presidential Council and the Council of Ministers.
