US names ambassador Richard Norland as special envoy for Libya

GNA PM Fayez Al-Sarraj meets with the US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norlan, left, and commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Gen. Stephen Townsend, Zuwara, Libya, Jun. 22, 2020. (Reuters)

• Norland will lead US diplomatic efforts for a negotiated political solution in the North African country

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday named Richard Norland, US ambassador to Libya, as the US special envoy for the country, the US State Department said, to lead diplomatic efforts for a negotiated political solution in the North African country.
The appointment comes as the Presidency Council, which functions as Libya’s head of state for now, was chosen through a United Nations-facilitated process that also selected a new Government of National Unity that took office in March, replacing rival administrations in east and west.