Libyan Presidential Hopeful Believes Russia Should Play Key Role In Rebuilding Libya

Russia should play a leading role in the restoration of Libya's economic infrastructure and security bodies, Libya's presidential candidate Aref Ali Nayed said on Monday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2018) Russia should play a leading role in the restoration of Libya's economic infrastructure and security bodies, Libya's presidential candidate Aref Ali Nayed said on Monday.

The presidential election in crisis-torn Libya is set to be held no later than December 10.

"I want Russia to ... play the major role in Libya's reconstruction. Because our state needs military forces � army, police, and intelligence services � and a strategic partnership with Russia, especially cooperation in the field of oil production and exports as well as in construction of infrastructure," Nayed said at a meeting with Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).

The presidential hopeful added that Libya needed Russia's support both in domestic and international affairs.

"The presence of Russia and China in the United Nations is balancing the situation. It will also help us in Libya and will protect the country and the people against Western intervention," Nayed indicated.

Libya has sought the help of Russian experts who specialize in the oil and gas industry, constructing and restoring freight, and logistical infrastructure, he specified.

Speaking about the situation inside the country and the feasibility of holding a presidential vote in the time frame set during the UN-backed talks on Libya in Paris in May, Nayed said he believes that if hostilities in the Libyan capital were halted it would be possible.

"If certain attempts to put an end to the fighting in Tripoli, and such a ceasefire, are taken, if we unite efforts and if the parliament adopts the electoral law at today's or tomorrow's session, it is still not too late [to hold the presidential vote until December 10]," Nayed indicated.

He stressed that legitimacy in Libya can be restored only by the means of a direct presidential election.

"Anyway, I believe that the election will be the only possible solution [to the crisis]. Because, unfortunately, the only alternative is war," Nayed stated.

He said he believed that the existing crisis had shown to the country's population that the election's postponement was a mistake.

Libya has been torn apart by conflict since the long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.