UN confirms legitimacy of Government of National Accord

The United Nations confirmed on Monday that the Government of National Accord is the only recognised government in Libya, days after US President Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with retired Major General Khalifa Haftar who has been attacking the capital Tripoli.

This came during a press conference for the spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric, at the UN’s permanent headquarters in New York.

Dujarric mentioned this while responding to journalists’ questions about Trump’s telephone conversation with Haftar, who launched a military attack on Tripoli three weeks ago at a time when the United Nations was preparing for a full dialogue conference in mid-April.

“The Government of National Accord is the recognised government by the United Nations. The Secretary-General and his Special Envoy (Ghassan Salamé) are determined to end this crisis, and we keep on calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities,” said Dujarric.

Responding to whether the Secretary-General had contacted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Dujarric said: “I have no details about this, but contacts have been made at different levels as far as this matter is concerned.”

On 4 April, Haftar launched a military operation to take over Tripoli, in a move that has provoked international rejection and condemnation. No tangible progress has yet been achieved on the ground, and there have been some setbacks in some areas.

The White House said in a statement on Friday that Trump had talked over the phone with Haftar to discuss “counterterrorism efforts”.