Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding his meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni and Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz.
“I welcome Prime Minister Thinni and Foreign Minister Abdelaziz to Washington and to the United States Senate.
“I have followed the alarming and tragic situation in Libya closely; my thoughts are with the Libyan people who have sacrificed so much for their freedom and dignity and deserve to live without fear of violence, intimidation, and kidnapping. The fighting in Libya must come to an end. I call on all sides to immediately agree to a ceasefire and commit to the hard work of rebuilding Libya. I applaud Libya’s elected leaders in the Council of Representatives who held an emergency session over the weekend to form a new government.
“This is a crucial step for Libya in stopping the violence and advancing Libya’s democratic transition.
“I call on the international community to support the new Libyan Council of Representatives as they form a government that will undertake the crucial work of implementing a national reconciliation dialogue, building a functioning government, and setting Libya on a path toward security and economic prosperity.”
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