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Libyan MPs to boycott UN-sponsored dialogue efforts in protest of Mistrata bombing

December 29, 2014 at 5:26 pm

Members of the Libyan Parliament in Tobruk have announced that they will boycott “international dialogue efforts”, describing them as “absurd and embarrassing” after war planes loyal to General Khalifah Haftar attacked positions of the Libya Dawn militia inside the city of Misrata on Sunday.

Nearly 20 members of the Libyan Parliament in Tobruk have boycotted its sessions since August, demanding the council to be held instead in the city of Benghazi in accordance with the constitutional declaration issued by the General National Congress following the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi.

MP Fathi Bashaga said in a statement that the MPs’ position aims to “draw international attention to the situation in Libya, warning that the escalating violence will leave many innocent victims and harm the Libyan government. “The hopeless and reckless bombardment of sites in Misrata especially the iron and steel factory has left us who advocate for dialogue with no option to move forward to provide an appropriate climate for a national consensus government and stop the continuous bloodshed,” he said.

Bashaga added that, “Libya today entered a new turning point which is difficult to overcome,” demanding everyone responsible for the situation to take responsibility for their actions.

The Rrepresentative and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Bernardino Leon Gross, has been leading efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis since September. Earlier this year, a first round of talks was held in the city of Ghadames between the representatives of the conflicting MPs. The second round of talks was postponed to a later date for further consultations with all parties in the Libyan crisis.