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Ban urges political actors, institutions to hand over power to Libyan Presidency Council

An estimated 400,000 people are displaced across Libya, including this man at a site near the capital, Tripoli.
UNHCR/L. Dobbs
An estimated 400,000 people are displaced across Libya, including this man at a site near the capital, Tripoli.

Ban urges political actors, institutions to hand over power to Libyan Presidency Council

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all political actors and public institutions in Libya to hand over power to the Libyan Presidency Council.

The call came in a statement by the Secretary-General, who welcomed the Presidency Council's arrival in the capital of Tripoli as “an important step” in the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement, a UN-mediated deal signed in December.

Mr. Ban “calls on all actors to respect the aspirations of the overwhelming majority of the Libyan people for peace, stability and prosperity,” the statement reads.

Commending the Presidency Council for the members' courage and leadership, Mr. Ban also urged security actors to ensure their safety and abstain from any actions that might undermine their work.

Shortly after the Presidency Council's arrival yesterday, Martin Kobler, Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) extended the UN's support to the Libyan authorities.