Africa must speak with one voice on Libyan issue - Chergui
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union commissioner for peace and security, Smaïl Chergui, said here Friday called on Africa to “speak with one voice" on the Libyan issue at a time the continent is seeking to play an avant-garde role in solving the crisis in that country.
In a press statement issued on the eve of the AU Peace and Security Commission Summit scheduled for Saturday in the Ethiopian capital, Chergui said "Africa does not speak until present with one voice and that the results of the meeting of Libya's neighboring countries in Algiers and those of the Brazzaville Summit of the African Union High-Level Committee are likely to be adopted in order to strengthen the vision of Africa on this issue".
"The objective of the Addis Ababa meeting is to strengthen the voice of Africa and get all Africans to speak with one voice," he said, stressing the importance of informing African countries on this matter.
"Africa has been removed from the process to resolve the Libyan crisis,” he lamented, adding that the remoteness of the African continent from the Libyan issue dates back to the military intervention of 2011 when African heads of state were prevented from traveling to that country to implement the African peace plan; saying this "was the start of a political crime".
He also deplored the rejection of the African Union proposal, which has always "sought to work closely with the United Nations" for the appointment of a joint special envoy for Libya.
"Regarding the Berlin Conference which ended up associating the African Union and some countries in the neighborhood of Libya proves the importance given to the AU to organize a conference for national reconciliation in Libya,” said Chergui, adding however that to date, "Africa is not fully and completely associated with the process" despite the visits made last March to Libya by the commissioner for peace and security.
Saturday's summit aims "to ensure an appropriate African approach to help bring about a ceasefire, to bring the actors to respect the arms embargo and the cessation of interference in Libya," he said.
The summit will also be an opportunity to "present a report on the High Level Committee Summit held in Brazzaville and to examine the results of the Berlin conference, as well as the achievements of the meeting of neighboring countries held on January 23 in Algiers,” said Chergui.
"All these elements will allow us to determine the practical measures for the contribution of Africa to the total cessation of hostilities," he added.
The Berlin conference had entrusted the African Union to bring together the Libyan belligerents around a negotiating table for national reconciliation.
"It is necessary that our approach to achieve national reconciliation is inclusive and goes beyond the two parties to the conflict to include all the actors who can help us find final solutions to this crisis," said Chergui.
Participants in the summit on Saturday, include 15 heads of state, members of the Peace and Security Commission, the president of the Libyan presidential council, Fayez al-Sarraj, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the chairman of the High-Level Committee of the African Union on Libya, the Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
Three other presidents have been invited to take part in the summit, which will also examine the interconnection between the Libyan crisis and the Sahel crisis.
They are the presidents of Burkina Faso, G5 Sahel, South Africa and Niger, as well as the president in office of ECOWAS.
-0- PANA AT/ IN/ IS/SOC/KND/RA 7Feb2020
