(Xinhua) -- Libya's new parliament elected Akila
Saleh Issa as the speaker of the House of Representatives in Tobruk in
its first formal session on Monday.
The meeting was held in the eastern city of Tobruk as it was unsafe
for lawmakers to gather in Tripoli or Bengazi because of the heavy
fightings in both major cities.
In a heavily-guarded hotel in Tobruk, Issa received 77 votes from 158 lawmakers who attended the session.
"We hope all Libyans stand together to put our country's best
interests first," said Justice Minister Saleh al-Marghani, standing in
for Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, who was attending a summit in the
United States.
World powers congratulated the new parliament and expressed hope that
lawmakers would be able to restore stability to Libya and press ahead
with democratic reform.
"The governments of France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and
the United States commend the members of the Council of Representatives
for beginning their work today," said a joint statement.
"The convening of the council is an important step toward putting
Libya's democratic transition back on track and helping restore law and
order to the country," it said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who met with al-Thinni in Washington, said it was a "critical time" for Libya.
"Libya's challenges can really only be solved by Libyans themselves,
but we are committed to stand by them as they engage in the difficult
work of doing so," Kerry said.
He said U.S. diplomats would return to Tripoli "as soon as the security situation allows."
The UN mission in Libya hopes that the newly elected parliament can
make efforts to end surging violence and promote political process, said
Vannina Maestracci, assistant spokesperson for UN chief, at a regular
briefing at the UN headquarters.
"The mission hopes that the elected council will lead the efforts to
safeguard the security, safety, unity and sovereignty of Libya, and help
to create an environment that fosters an inclusive political dialogue,"
said Maestracci.
With more than 200 people killed, Libya is now facing the worst
violence since the Muammar Gaddafi regime fell in 2011. For over three
weeks, rival militias have been fighting around Tripoli international
airport, attempting to take control of the air hub.
In Benghazi, the Operation Dignity, launched by General Khalifa
Haftar against Islamist militants, is still going on, where warplanes
are involved in attacking the militant strongholds.
Meanwhile, the country's lifeline oil production has dropped to 450,000 barrels per day from 500,000 bpd in just one week.
As fighting continues to rage on, foreigners have been fleeing Libya
in mass numbers, with the exodus gathering pace at the weekend, when
Britain and Greece sent ships to evacuate their nationals.
China has also evacuated 878 Chinese nationals from Libya since clashes between rival militias escalated in July.
ليبيا المستقبل 
ليبيا المستقبل 
