The Saudi Arabian government welcomed the results of the efforts of the United Nations and international community to held reach an agreement to form a new unity government in Libya. The Kingdom expressed its wish that this government will be able to restore security and stability to Libya, an official source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The UN Security Council had earlier welcomed an agreement Friday to establish a unity government in Libya, calling on stakeholders in the country to support the peace deal. A unanimous statement passed by the 15 members of the council called on all Libyans "to unite wholeheartedly and in a spirit of reconciliation behind this settlement, which represents the aspirations and hopes of the Libyan people." The council also reiterated that it was "prepared to sanction those who threaten Libya's peace, stability and security or that undermine the successful completion of its political transition." It encouraged the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to help coordinate international assistance to the government that would be set up under the proposed peace accord. The accord, brokered by UN envoy Bernardino Leon, would set up a new unity government headed by Fayez El-Sarraj, a deputy in the Tripoli parliament, and include three deputy prime ministers, one each from the west, east and south of the country. It would seek to end the political turmoil that has existed since August 2014, when a militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the internationally recognized government to take refuge in the east and creating a second national administration. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States and European leaders also welcomed the proposed accord and urged Libyan leaders to sign off on the deal. The US and major European powers joined other world leaders in urging Libya's warring parties to sign a proposed peace deal to create a national unity government. "There is no more time to waste," said a joint statement released by the governments of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States. "Delays in forming a unity government will only prolong the suffering of the Libyan people and benefit terrorists seeking to take advantage of the chaos." The governments gave their "full support" to the text of the agreement and to the leaders who would make up the new unity government under the accord. — With input from agencies.
