Libyan Parliament Speaker Considers Tripoli Meetings Of GNA-Loyal Lawmakers Illegitimate

President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh Issa told Sputnik that he regarded the meetings of some lawmakers of the Libyan parliament, loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), in Tripoli as being illegitimate

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2019) President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh Issa told Sputnik that he regarded the meetings of some lawmakers of the Libyan parliament, loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), in Tripoli as being illegitimate.

On May 2, a number of lawmakers of the Libya parliament chaired by senior lawmaker Sadeq al-Kahiali held a meeting in Tripoli and stood for any initiative to cease hostilities and stop the offensive on the capital led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA).

"As for the lawmakers, who gathered in Tripoli, there were only 12 people who had parliamentary status on the legal basis ... Therefore, this meeting is insignificant from the point of view of the constitutional declaration and the law," Saleh said.

According to Saleh, the meetings of the House of Representatives must be held in its official headquarters in the city of Tobruk in accordance with the agreed schedule and agenda.

"Meetings are in particular held weekly on Mondays and Tuesdays. Extraordinary meetings are convened at the call of the parliament's speaker.

Therefore, it was not a meeting of the parliament, but a meeting of some lawmakers from Tripoli supporting the GNA headed by Fayez Sarraj. From the very beginning, they boycotted the parliament, while some of them have not taken the oath," the lawmaker stressed.

In April, Haftar's LNA launched an offensive to retake Tripoli from the control of the internationally-recognized GNA and eradicate terrorists operating there. The LNA has already recaptured a number of settlements near the capital and the Tripoli International Airport, located around 20 miles away from the city. The forces loyal to the GNA announced a counteroffensive, dubbed Volcano of Rage.

Libya has been gripped by conflict since 2011, when the country's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the LNA. At the same time, the GNA operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.