UN chief 'deeply frustrated' with Libya situation

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed deep frustration with the situation in Libya, where truce and UN arms embargo have been repeatedly violated.

"I'm deeply frustrated with what's happening in Libya, and I think that what's happening is a scandal," said Guterres in his New Year press conference, where he criticized the countries that met in Berlin in January in a bid to reduce foreign interference in the country.

"They committed not to interfere in the Libyan process, and they committed not to send weapons or to participate in any way in the fighting. Now, the truth is that the Security Council embargo remains violated," he said.

Fighting in Libya has continued on the ground despite a most recent call for a truce by Russia and Turkey on Jan 12 and the Berlin conference on Jan 19.

Asked to name the countries who have sent arms and mercenaries to Libya, Guterres said "we are not verifying each of the equipment (to know its source)," but quoted media reports as calling out the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Sudan.

The UN chief said "the only good news" about the Libya situation is the ongoing meeting in Geneva under the UN auspices.

Five senior officers from the Government of National Accord (GNA), the internationally recognized Libyan government, and their counterparts from the Libyan National Army (LNA) started their talks on Monday.

On Tuesday, Guterres' envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame said in Geneva that the warring parties now are willing to turn the truce into a permanent ceasefire.

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The instability resulted in a divided country, with the GNA overseeing the west and a rival government in the east. Each is backed by an array of militias and armed groups fighting over resources and territory.

LNA, which supports the east, is trying to take over the capital Tripoli for the past 10 months.