UN envoy stresses political solution to Libya crisis

CAIRO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Stephanie Williams, adviser to the United Nations (UN) secretary-general for Libya, stressed here on Monday the importance of finding a political solution to break the political impasse in Libya.

"The Libyan lawmakers agreed to continue the discussion on the establishment of a legislative and constitutional framework for the presidential and parliamentarian elections," Williams said on the last day of a UN-brokered meeting attended by members of Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives or the parliament, and the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS).

The meetings, which started in Cairo last week, were held amid "a consensus atmosphere," according to Williams.

A new round of talks is scheduled to be held in Cairo in May, according to Shaban Abu Setta, an HCS member who attended the meeting.

According to an earlier statement released by the UN Support Mission in Libya, the meetings were aimed at determining the constitutional basis for the upcoming elections.

Libya expected to hold presidential elections on Dec. 24, 2021. However, the elections were postponed indefinitely because of technical and legal issues, according to the High National Elections Commission.

In March, Williams announced an initiative to form a joint committee of the House of Representatives and the HCS to reach a firm constitutional basis to hold national elections as soon as possible.