In a major shift in the course of the crisis in Libya, the Head of the Presidential Council, Fayez Al-Sarraj, and the Speaker of Parliament, Aqilah Saleh, announced an immediate ceasefire and a cessation of all combat operations throughout the country.
In its statement, the Presidential Council indicated that the ceasefire decision requires that Sirte and Al-Jufra regions become demilitarized, provided that the police forces from both sides agree on internal security arrangements.
Al-Sarraj’s statement stressed that the aim of the initiative to announce a ceasefire is to restore sovereignty and the exit of foreign forces and mercenaries from the country, while he also called for the resumption of oil production and exports, provided that the revenues are deposited in the account of the National Oil Corporation at Libyan Foreign Bank.
Al-Sarraj called for presidential and parliamentary elections next March, according to an appropriate constitutional base to be agreed upon among Libyans.
The Speaker of Parliament, Aqilah Saleh, issued a similar statement, in which he directed a ceasefire and all combat operations, and expressed his aspiration to make the city of Sirte a temporary headquarters for the new Presidential Council.
Saleh said that the ceasefire would cut off any foreign interference in Libya and end with the removal of mercenaries and the dismantling of militias, stressing that the operations of producing and exporting oil would be resumed and their revenues would be frozen in a special account at the Libyan Foreign Bank until a political settlement is reached.
The UN mission in Libya welcomed the “Stream of Consensus Statements”, hailing the important consensus between Al-Sarraj and Saleh for a ceasefire and activation of the political process.
The Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Libya, Stephanie Williams, described the decisions of the two parties as “courageous”, which Libya desperately needs in light of its current crisis, expressing her hope that this consensus will lead to the acceleration of the implementation of the “5+5” joint military committee agreements and the start of expelling all foreign forces present in Libya.
