Washington, DC - Secretary Tillerson met yesterday with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Secretary Tillerson reaffirmed the United States’ full support for Prime Minister al-Sarraj, the Government of National Accord, and the Libyan Political Agreement. Secretary Tillerson thanked Prime Minister al-Sarraj for his stalwart partnership in counterterrorism efforts and defeating ISIS, and conveyed the United States’ commitment to supporting the Libyan people’s efforts to build a more stable, unified, and prosperous future.
Secretary Tillerson and Prime Minister al-Sarraj discussed the need for all Libyan and international parties to back Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya Ghassan Salamé’s Action Plan to advance the national political reconciliation process and lay the groundwork for Libya to hold successful national elections. Secretary Tillerson underscored that the United States continues to urge all Libyan parties to engage constructively with Special Representative Salamé’s mediation, including his ongoing efforts to help them negotiate amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement. The Libyan Political Agreement remains the only viable framework for a political solution throughout Libya’s transitional period. Attempts to bypass the UN-facilitated political process or impose a military solution to the conflict would only destabilize Libya and create opportunities for ISIS and other terrorist groups to threaten the United States and our allies.