UN urges Libya rivals to end political crisis

The UN Security Council urged rival leaders in Libya today to engage in talks and put an end to the political crisis in the oil-rich country.

Council members condemned the continuing violence in Libya and said there can be no military solution in the North African nation. They urged rival leaders to agree on elections, expected this year, and a political transition.

The council statement followed a briefing by UN envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame who stressed that "the political process must progress, as the status quo is untenable."
"Armed groups, including those integrated into the state structures, continue to operate outside of the law, perpetrating human rights abuses," he said. "Bodies bearing signs of torture have turned up in many locations."
Salame said kidnappings of children and adults for profit have also increased, even in the capital Tripoli, and "shadowy security forces" arbitrarily arrest Libyans who are "held and abused in unofficial, or quasi-official detention prisons."
The Security Council "underlined the importance of unifying Libya's armed forces under civilian oversight."
He told the council that tomorrow he will start "a new and final attempt to realise the amendments."
Salame said the "great demographic fluidity" that Libya was once known for has been constrained, "if not strangled," since 2011 and "ideological or identity cleavages have led to widespread ostracism."
"A discourse of hatred has replaced peaceful interaction," Salame lamented, telling the council the UN is committed "to reversing the mutual exclusion and sterile seclusion."