Benghazi: A powerful Libyan general whose forces recently captured several key oil facilities has rejected a UN-brokered government and said the country would be better served by a leader with “high-level military experience”.
In a series of written responses to questions from The Associated Press this week, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar said his army only recognises the authority of the Libyan parliament based in the east, which has also rejected the UN-backed government in the capital, Tripoli.
Asked if he intended to seek the highest office, Haftar demurred, saying the country first needed security, political and social stability, and that he would not answer the question until that was achieved.
The UN-backed government is led by a presidential council headed by Fayez Serraj, an independent technocrat. It was supposed to present a new Cabinet to parliament for approval after lawmakers rejected the last one in August, but has yet to do so.
