High State Council in Libya sets conditions for participating in Geneva political talks
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya's High State Council, a consultative assembly, unanimously voted on Saturday to suspend its participation in the political talks, scheduled for February 26, in Geneva, Switzerland, until three points are met.
The three-point demand are the achievement of progress in the 5+5 joint Military Committee negotiations, the consideration of the Political Agreement as a frame of reference and the response of the United Nations Mission of Support in Libya (UNSMIL) to questions relating to the political process.
The vote took place at a session attended by 86 members to discuss the observations of the Council of State in order to participate in the political dialogue, the council said in a statement issued on Saturday.
On 27 December 2015, a Libyan Political Agreement was signed in Skhirat, Morocco, under the aegis of the UN Support Mission, under which a Government of National Accord was formed, the Tobruk (East) based House of Representatives (Parliament) maintained and the High Council of State from the former National General Congress (NGC - outgoing Assembly) formed.
In its statement, the High Council requested that the opinion of the five officers delegated by the Presidential Council in the dialogue of the Military Committee be taken into account, in addition to considering the Libyan Political Agreement as the basis and reference for any agreement, and that any amendments to it be made in accordance with Article 12 of the annexed provisions.
The second round of talks of the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Committee, comprising five senior officers from the regular army of the Government of National Accord and five others from the Libyan National Army, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, resumed since Thursday in Geneva after the lifting of the Government's suspension of its participation in protest against the bombing by Haftar forces of the Tripoli seaport, killing three people and injuring five others.
The third point relates to the UN Mission's response to several issues, including the clarification of the decision-making mechanism within the Political Dialogue Committee, the sending to the Council of the names of the participants from the House of Representatives and the participants chosen by the UN envoy, as well as the agenda of the dialogue, the issues at stake and the guarantee of equitable representation for women.
A total of 40 persons, including 13 delegates from Parliament and 13 from the High Council of State, as well as 14 Libyan personalities chosen by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, are scheduled to meet on 26 February in Geneva for political talks on the formation of a Government of national unity, the organization of elections, the adoption of the Constitution and the restructuring of the Presidential Council.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/SOC/MTA/VAO 23Feb2020