U.N. envoy in Libya urges talks in parliament crisis

The United Nations envoy to Libya urged militias that have threatened to use force to disband the interim parliament to use dialogue in holding elections “at the earliest possible.”

The Wednesday statement by Tarek Mitri came as a long-running political crisis came to a head. Many in Libya are angered that the parliament has extended its mandate, and two commanders of powerful militias issued an ultimatum Tuesday to lawmakers to resign or face arrest. The head of parliament has accused the militias of an attempted coup.

Mitri says he met with the two commanders and appealed to them to “give a chance for political dialogue about holding general elections at the earliest possible.” He warned that the use of force “threatens the stability of Libya and the political process.”