Updated

The U.N. envoy to Libya says the situation in the North African country is going from "bad to worse" and warned on of an expansion there of the extremist Islamic State group.

Martin Kobler says it's given an added urgency to the need to set up the recently announced new unity government.

The United States, Europe and United Nations have all pinned their hopes for resolving Libya's chaos and blocking the growth of the IS in Libya on the unity government but so far huge obstacles stand in the way of actually getting the Tunisia-based Cabinet into Libya.

Kobler spoke in Cairo on Thursday. He criticized Libya's parliament, based in the country's east, for not giving its stamp of approval so negotiators can move ahead and set up the government.