"The municipalities of the western coast are conscious that this is a
critical stage," they said. "We call on all Libyans to be unified in
their support for the Government of National Accord."
Tripoli's self-declared government has said it will not cling to power but will peacefully oppose a U.N.-backed unity government that arrived in the capital this week from Tunisia.
Western powers hope the unity government will seek foreign support to confront the Islamic State militant group, deal with migrant flows from Libya towards Europe and restore oil production to shore up its economy.
But
the new government, which held its first meetings in Tripoli on
Thursday at a heavily guarded naval base, has failed to win backing from
Libya's two rival pairs of governments and parliaments, one based in
Tripoli and one in the east.
The head of the
Tripoli-based National Salvation government, Khalifa Ghwell, has
vehemently opposed any transfer of power. But a statement posted late on
Thursday on the government's website struck a milder tone, saying
opposition would be "by peaceful and legal means without use of force or incitement to violence".
"We will not cling to power," the statement said. "I
demand that the revolutionaries, civil society and the senior clerics
be given the opportunity to take the necessary decisions to avoid
bloodshed and find a solution to the Libyan crisis."
In
a boost for the new unity government and its leadership, or
Presidential Council, 10 western Libyan towns and cities said they
welcomed and supported its arrival.
"The municipalities of the western coast are conscious that this is a critical stage," they said. "We call on all Libyans to be unified in their support for the Government of National Accord."
The
European Union has imposed asset freezes on Ghwell and the heads of the
parliaments in Tripoli and the east, citing their role in obstructing
the unity government. Those sanctions took effect on Friday.
The
new government's seven-member Presidential Council is trying to take
control of institutions in Tripoli and to secure the backing of the
capital's many armed groups.
An official at the
foreign ministry in Tripoli said security forces loyal to the
Presidential Council had secured the ministry building and that the
minister previously appointed by the National Salvation government had
left peacefully.
Tripoli has been mostly calm
since the Council members arrived on Wednesday. They travelled to
Tripoli by ship after opponents shut down the capital's air space to
prevent them from flying in
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