Eastern Tribes Support Aguila Saleh to Lead Libya

Libyan tribes in the eastern region announced Friday their adherence to the "Cairo Declaration" and the initiative submitted by the Speaker of Parliament, Aguila Saleh, to resolve the Libyan crisis.

The Eastern Tribes affirmed their support for Saleh in winning the upcoming presidency of the Presidency Council.

During a meeting in Benghazi, the tribes stressed that they adhere to supporting the Cairo Declaration and the initiative of Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis, reassuring their rejection of any political dialogue outcomes that would confiscate the right of the three regions to choose their representatives in the next executive authority.

In their final statement, the tribes noted "the necessity of adhering to the constitutional right which gives each of the three regions the right to choose their representatives." 

They demanded that the country's wealth be distributed fairly among all regions and that Cyrenaica should return in all official state transactions.

The statement pointed to "the importance of the departure of all foreign forces from the country, and making the city of Sirte the main headquarters for the Presidential Council and the next government, as well as for the Central Bank."

On its part, the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, said there has been positive relative progress on various tracks, stressing that "holding the elections next December is irreversible."

The Libyan parties participating in this meeting recalled that "the countdown has begun on December 21, as clear time frames have been defined in the roadmap that was adopted in Tunisia."

In turn, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, proposed the formation of an international observers committee to support the fragile truce in Libya, amid hopes of an imminent exit for foreign fighters and turning the country over a 10-year war.