After months of difficult negotiations between the two parliaments contending for the country, the UN special envoy for Libya, Bernardino Leon, presented a government of national unity chaired by Fayez el-Sarraj. “After a year of working on this process, after working with more than 150 Libyan personalities from all regions, the time has finally come when we can present a government of national unity,” Leon said at a press conference in Morocco.
According to the UN envoy, the new government - led by a member of the Tripoli administration supported by three deputy prime ministers representing the East, West and South of the country - "can do it" if "the Libyans decide to seize this historic opportunity to save Libya", recalling that "too many Libyans have lost their lives and too many mothers have suffered" and that "today almost 2,4 million Libyans are in need of humanitarian assistance".
The prime minister proposed for the new concord executive is Fayez Serraj (originally from Tripoli), Member of Parliament for Tobruk but not on the list of nominees from Tobruk. To occupy the posts of deputy premier Ahmed Maetiq (Misurata, "Parliament" of Tripoli), Moussa Kony (South, independent), Fathi Majbari (East, supported by Tobruk but also by Ajdabia and the Libyan Army), while the ministers include Mohamed Ammari (Tripoli) and Omar Al Assuad (Zintan).
The head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, welcomed the news of the new government, announcing around 100 million euros in support of the executive: "The European Union fully supports the final text and the government of national unity, which is now has the responsibility to create a new executive and to implement the terms of the agreement…. for its part, the European Union is ready to offer its political and financial support – up to 100 million euros – to the new government”.
However, Abdulsalam Bilashahir, of the General National Congress in Tripoli, told the BBC: "We are not part of this government. It means nothing to us and we have not been consulted." For his part, Ibrahim Alzaghiat, a member of the Tobruk parliament, recognized by the international community, said: "This government will lead to the division of Libya and will prove to be a hoax. Leon's choice was not wise."
