UN chief welcomes Libya rivals' agreement to hold elections
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The United Nations secretary-general has welcomed an agreement between rival Libyan leaders to hold elections.
The agreement came in a meeting Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates' capital between Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, head of Libya's U.N.-recognized government in Tripoli in the west, and Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the commander of Libya's national army which dominates the east.
In a statement late Friday, Antonio Guterres commended both parties' "agreement on the need to end the transitional stages in Libya through the holding of general elections."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hifter and Sarraj had agreed to a Paris-brokered deal in May 2018 and hold a nationwide election by the end of the year. But their disputes delayed those plans.
Libya slid into chaos after a 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Moammar Gadhafi.