Libya witnesses "very critical time" - Kerry

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stressed Monday that Libya is witnessing a "very critical time in Libya," calling on all Libyans to "reject the use of violence." "We are very much encouraging all Libyans to respect the recent election of the Council of Representatives and to support the work of the constitutional defining assembly and to reject the use of violence," Kerry told reporters.

He added: "Libya's challenges can really only be solved by Libyans themselves, but we are committed to stand by them as they engage in the difficult work of doing so." "We believe that Libya is filled with possibilities, even at this difficult moment. And we intend to work very, very closely with our Libyan friends in an effort to try to help to build the capacity of the government to be able to restore stability to this country," he affirmed.

"We have had to temporarily, and I emphasize temporarily, relocate our personnel out of the Embassy in Tripoli because of the fighting going on around them, not directly at it, but around it.

"And we wanted to make sure we were providing for the security of our personnel, who are temporarily operating from other places," Kerry went on.

He stressed: "Above all, we want the recent elections that took place in Libya to be respected, and that means the legitimate Council of Representatives needs to be seated and the government needs to be able to move on with its work." "We are committed to continuing to support the Libyan people, to work with the Libyan Government, and to return our people to Tripoli as soon as the security situation allows," he remarked.

For his part, the Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni said: "We - ask the United States to stand by the Libyan people and parliament and its government so that it can overcome this very difficult period that it's experiencing. And particularly by pressuring the various warring parties." "I also ask the US to support us in our effort to bring up our institutions, particularly the army and the police, so that weapons are only in the hands of elements of these two institutions," he pointed out.

"I would like to assure everybody that despite all the challenges and problems and armed conflict that Libya is experiencing, we hope that, with the assistance of our friends, particularly the US, we'll be able to overcome this critical stage and lay the foundations of a democratic system and the peaceful transition of power," he stressed.

"We also urge the Libyan parliament to take very strong and solid resolutions that would enable the Libyan state and the apparatuses the state to be strong so that it can also overcome this very critical stage," he remarked.