Cairo, US Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland has renewed his country’s demand for immediate withdrawal of Wagner mercenaries from Libyan territories saying ‘this is necessary for Libyan to restore their sovereignty, and will not be easy, but we are exploring with our partners ways that could lead to gradual and reciprocal steps for withdrawal of these forces.’
In a long interview with the Cairo ‘Republican on Line’ Norland said the fact that he is Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya indicated that the United States wanted to play more vital role in pushing the political process in Libya.
Norland said his vision for Libya ‘the situation is promising unlike the situation a year ago when Tripoli was heavily bombarded with artillery …the ceasefire is holding and there is a political process actively ongoing …but the situation still is fragile ..there are still thousands of mercenaries in the country, and there should be decisive measures to lay down the constitutional basis for the Dec.24 elections in accordance with the roadmap.’
Asked whether the presence of mercenaries obstruct the elections Norland said ‘the mercenaries should not be an excuse for delaying the vote, on the contrary a an empowered sovereign Libya government after the elections would be reinforce the voice of the people seeking to get these forces out …and would enable Libya to find future security partners which will respond to national security requests in a way that promote regional security instead of undermining it.’
Source: Libyan News Agency