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                  Libya in Turmoil, With 2nd Premier Selected

   by VOA News

   New political turmoil consumed Libya Monday, leaving the country with
   competing assemblies who have elected rival leaders.

   The Libyan parliament that was replaced by a new assembly in a June
   election reconvened in embattled Tripoli, the capital. The
   Islamist-dominated General National Congress named a university
   professor, Omar al-Hassi, as the country's prime minister.

   The General National Congress has refused to recognize the newly
   elected House of Representatives, dominated by liberals and
   federalists. It has been meeting in Tobruk, 1,600 kilometers to the
   east, to avoid weeks of fighting in Tripoli and Benghazi between rival
   militias. The new assembly had already named a different prime
   minister, Abdullah al-Thani.

   The outgoing parliament named its premier after losing a legal battle
   to oust Mr. Thani, whose election has been supported by the United
   States.

   The selection of Hassi comes two days after a militia from the coastal
   city of Misrata took control of Tripoli's international airport after
   weeks of clashes with a rival militia from the mountainous region of
   Zintan. The Misratis called for the reinstatement of the General
   National Congress, challenging the legitimacy of the new parliament.

   Officials from Libya's neighbors - Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan and
   Chad - met in Cairo to discuss the worsening chaos. Egypt's top
   diplomat, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, said the weaponry stockpiled
   by all the Libyan militias should be confiscated and voiced his concern
   about the effect of the turmoil on Libya's adjoining countries.

   "We have noticed for a long time the effect of the Libyan situation on
   the security of its neighboring countries, with the presence of
   extremist and terrorist groups. Their operations are not limited to
   Libyan territories; they extend to neighboring countries through the
   smuggling and trading of weapons, people and forbidden items, and the
   crossing of borders, which hurts the sovereignty of neighboring
   countries and can eventually threaten their stability," said Shukri.

   The violence in Tripoli and Benghazi has prompted several countries to
   evacuate their citizens and diplomats from Libya.

   Libya's interim government has struggled to establish security since
   long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled in 2011.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/libya-in-turmoil-with-second-premier-
   elected/2427613.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/libya-in-turmoil-with-second-premier-elected/2427613.html