Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Monday, 14 May 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 May 2018. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 May 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Libya: Democracy

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help restore democracy to Libya.

Answer: The UK fully supports the UN-led political process in Libya and the efforts of the UN Special Representatives Ghassan Salamé to bring Libyans together to make political progress. I visited Libya on 8 – 9 April and met representatives and a number of senior politicians, including from the Libyan Government of National Accord; I emphasised the need for all parties to engage fully in the UN-led process and to be willing to compromise for the national interest. Mr Salamé’s political roadmap aims to build consensus on the need to move towards elections; we agree that elections are an important part of Libya’s political transition, although they must be preceded by necessary political, legislative and security preparations to be a success. We shall continue to work with Libyans and the international community in order to make progress towards political agreement and the establishment of a more united and effective Government in Libya.

Secondary information