The NATO, which backed Muammar Gaddafi’s downfall, has indicated it would assist Libya’s UN-sponsored Presidency Council to rebuild the country’s defense apparatus.
The announcement was made by Jens Stoltenberg, the organization’s Secretary General at a press conference with Italian Premier Paulo Gentiloni, last week in Rome.
The organization will send a team to help the Libyan Presidency Council build a modern ministry of defense, a joint chief of staff organization and intelligence services, said Stoltenberg, who deemed these institutions vital for Libya’s stability.
Libya has descended into chaos in 2011 following the removal of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed revolution. The North African country has been unable to bounce back due to lack of a national and central administration.
The UN-backed Presidency Council, led by Faiez Serraj, has become unpopular and is facing rejection from the country’s internationally recognized parliament; the House of Representatives (HoR) located in the east of the country.
Uncontrolled militias have also taken control of some districts of capital Tripoli.
The NATO team is expected to arrive in Libya in the third week of May, before the Summit in Brussels, on May 25, Libya Herald reports.
Stoltenberg had a lengthy telephone conversation with Serraj on military and security cooperation, on April 20, the Libyan media said.
Rome has called on NATO members to play more active roles in Libya’s reconstruction, deeming it is a moral duty.
Serraj has been calling for foreign intervention and assistance to rebuild the country’s key structures among which security. In February, Serraj received assurances from NATO to help build the country’s security and defense structures.
Libya: NATO to Help Rebuild Defense Structures
