GCC states welcome Libya ceasefire move

Gulf states urge permanent solution after both warring sides in Libya called for a halt in fighting

Libya’s Khalifa Haftar, speaker of the eastern-based parliament Aguila Saleh, and head of the Tripoli-based government Fayez Al Sarraj attend an International Congress on Libya at the Elysee Palace inShow more

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has welcomed a ceasefire announcement in Libya.

GCC Secretary General Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf called on all parties "to adhere to [this] constructive step, to urgently engage in political dialogue, and to work through mediation of the United Nations to reach a permanent and comprehensive solution to end the fighting and conflict in Libya," , the UAE news agency Wam reported on Saturday.

The GCC is made up of the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Libya's government in Tripoli announced the ceasefire on Friday and the leader of a rival administration in eastern Libya also appealed for a halt to hostilities.

Both cited the coronavirus pandemic as necessitating the move but the move was welcomed around the region and by the UN who hope it will pave the way for a long-term cessation of hostilities and towards elections.

The Tripoli administration called for elections in March.