The Ambassadors of Germany, Italy, the United States, and the Charge d’Affaires of France and the United Kingdom, joined by UNSMIL, stressed to Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj the need for a strong and engaged Libyan leadership ahead of elections in December 2021.

This came during a joint phone call with al-Sarraj on Wednesday, according to the US Embassy.

The heads of missions emphasized the need for public commentary to be constructive and in support of the political process, reiterating full support for the success of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and interrelated economic and security dialogues.

They also welcomed the recent exchange of prisoners and urged rapid progress to facilitate the reopening of the Misrata-Sirte coastal highway as agreed by the Joint Military Commission in October.

"International actors are closely monitoring actions by all parties to fulfill their commitments to the success of the UN-facilitated dialogues and, as the internationally recognized government, the GNA has a particular role to play in fully supporting this process," the joint statement read.

In conclusion, the western officials reiterated their call for the international community to fully support the Libyan-led, UN-convened political process, including the LPDF and October 23 Ceasefire Agreement.