Accelerating efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Libya (Analysis by Ba Youssef, PANA correspondent)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Meetings have intensified in recent weeks in Libya to accelerate the search for a political solution to the crisis by surfing on the wave created by the meeting in late February between the two main protagonists in Libya, the Chairman of the Presidential Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, and Marshal Khalifa Hafter, Head of the Libyan National Army, to relaunch the political process with assistance from the international community more involved than ever in a political settlement in this North African country.
The key to this political settlement is the holding of the inclusive National Conference in Libya, the preparations of which are well under way, including the increase in meetings with Libyan stakeholders, both by the UN envoy to Libya and by the international community represented by the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union, which demonstrates a new will to influence the outcome of the crisis in Libya, which has lasted for over eight years.
The two-day visit by a joint United Nations-African Union delegation sent a strong message to Libyan protagonists about the commitment of the two organizations to coordinate on Libya, with a view to pushing for an early solution in that country.
The last ordinary summit of the African Union resulted in a recommendation for greater coordination with the United Nations on the Libyan issue and the elaboration of a roadmap including a Libyan-Libyan reconciliation meeting, the organization of general elections and support for the UN envoy's plan in Libya.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding, Marie-Rose DiCarlo, and the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ismail Charghi, who led the joint delegation, met with the Chairman of the Presidential Council Fayez al-Sarraj, the Chairman of the High State Council and Marshal Khalifa Hafter, head of the Libyan National Army, as well as certain components of Libyan society.
Discussions focused on the political process in general and the need to implement the Action Plan of the United Nations envoy, Ghassan Salamé, based on the holding of an inclusive National Conference to build consensus among Libyans on a timetable for the subsequent electoral agenda that would end the political transition in the country by providing Libya with sustainable institutions.
The European Union was also involved through its accredited ambassadors in Libya by meeting on Tuesday with the main Libyan protagonists in Tripoli, urging them to work together for a political solution, warning those who are obstructing the process by threatening sanctions.
The Arab League, which is already engaged in seeking an exit from the crisis in Libya through a quartet of which it is a member (African Union, United Nations, Arab League and European Union), recalled, on Thursday, through its Secretary-General, a meeting scheduled for April with the other members to refine the positions between the Libyan protagonists and pave the way for a consensus to resolve the political and security crisis.
All these consultations are aimed, according to observers, at ensuring the holding of the inclusive National Conference, which was scheduled for early January, but that the differences between the protagonists differed from the very admission of Mr Salamé, who is in charge of supervising the political process in Libya.
Abdessalem Fitouri, Libyan political analyst, believes that "the growing engagement of the international community in the search for a solution in Libya reflects a fatigue with the persistence of the crisis, the effects of which are felt both in Libya's immediate neighbourhood and beyond".
"All these meetings are in fact pressure on the protagonists to hold them accountable in order to be more flexible in participating in the inclusive conference and contribute to a consensual solution on key issues," Fitouri added.
While acknowledging the importance of the international community's involvement in resolving the crisis in Libya, Muftah Tarhouni, a senior official in a public administration, expressed his fears that "the strictly selfish considerations of some Western and regional countries would prevail over objectivity and sincerity in seeking a solution to the crisis in Libya".
Supporting his point of view, Mr. Tarhouni said that "foreign interference in Libya is notorious and has so far prevented a negotiated outcome, each ensuring that its own interests are protected".
He cited, for example, "the competition between Italy and France in Libya, which has already overturned a roadmap that called for general elections in December 2018, following a meeting between the main Libyan parties in May in Paris under the auspices of French President Emmanuel Macron.
It was in particular the Italian government's opposition to these elections that compromised the outcome.
A UN report says a "proxy war" between Rome and Paris to control Libya's huge oil wealth is on.
Idriss al-Majabri, a civil society activist in Libya, said that "the current war in southern Libya embodies one of the episodes of this race between Italy and France in the country", citing "the interests of both countries in this region, particularly oil and the fight against terrorist groups".
In mid-January, Marshal Khalifa Hafter, commander of the Libyan National Army based in the east of the country, launched a major military operation in southern Libya to drive out "terrorist groups, criminal gangs and other traffickers" who scour the region.
It was an operation that did not meet with unanimous approval among Libyans, some fearing that it could be used as a pretext for Hafter to satisfy his plans for expansion and seizure of power.
Movement of Libyan National Army troops observed in recent days near Sirte (450 km east of Tripoli), has raised concerns and increased tension in the region, raises fears of escalation or armed clashes.
But Ghassan Salamé insisted, during an interview on the television channel "Libya al-Ahrar", on Khalifa Hafter's good intentions, which assured him of his willingness to join the ongoing political process in the country and which excluded the military solution as a means of resolving the conflict in Libya.
In addition, countries such as Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan have compromised themselves in the conflict in Libya by supporting one side at the expense of the other, with the sending of arms, ammunition and other financial and political support.
The Chairman of the Presidential Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, complained on Tuesday, during a meeting in Tripoli with European Union ambassadors, about the continued flow of arms to the various protagonists in Libya.
Returning to the political process in the country, Slah Maatoug, an employee of an oil company in Tripoli, said that "the holding of a conference for which efforts are currently being made will succeed in bringing together the views of Libyans who will transcend their differences by putting the country's best interests first and finding a settlement leading to stability and peace, making it possible to build the new state to which all citizens aspire".
Optimistic, Mr. Maatoug believes that "this time it will be the right time because all the ingredients are there to hold the inclusive Conference, which will be an opportunity for Libyans to resolve their crisis once and for all".
-0- PANA BY/BEH/MTA/VAO 15March2019
