Panafrican News Agency

Libya: Civil society calls for UN-organised dialogue to include non-political bodies

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A group of civil society organisations in Tripoli has called for the UN Commission's consultations in Libya to be broadened its focus to include other segments of the Libyan people, rather than limiting participation to official political forces and bodies that dominate the scene.

In a statement copied to PANA in Tripoli on Monday, the group insisted on the need for the initiators of these consultative meetings to exclude all those who do not believe in a civil state or are trying to put an end to previous political processes, as well as all those who are involved in acts that could be considered war crimes or crimes against humanity that Libyans have suffered.

 

These civil society organizations also called for making the current stage of consultations involving non-political structures, the last stage of the transition process, going directly to the legislative elections and allowing the completion of the constitutional process.

The statement stressed that civil society organisations in Tripoli are following closely and optimistically the efforts of the United Nations Mission in Libya and encourage all effective and positive local and international efforts to end the political stalemate and armed fighting in order to begin the political process that will allow the actors in the Libyan crisis to sit around the table for a responsible national dialogue.

The group stressed, in this regard, the importance of making Tripoli the official capital of Libya's sovereign and executive institutions, saying that it is "illogical to think about temporarily and briefly transferring the capital to another city".

The Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Aguila Salah on Saturday welcomed, in a statement, the Libyan talks in Montreux, Switzerland, and called for each region to choose its representative to the Presidential Council composed of a president and two vice presidents, while making Sirte the seat of executive and legislative powers and the Central Bank of Libya.

Several Internet users criticised Mr Salah's statements, considering them to be "animated by animosity against the capital, Tripoli". It is recalled that Salah had supported the failed attack, launched in April 2019, by supporters of the self-proclaimed Marshal Khalifa Haftar to seize the capital, Tripoli, and the entire region of western Libya.

This attack resulted in dozens of dead and wounded and caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure and forced 150,000 people to abandon their homes.

The late Col. Muammar Gaddafi had tried in the 1990s to transfer the capital to Sirte, his hometown, but without success. However, Libya was at the height of its power at the time.

The attempt of the former Libyan strongman had caused several collateral damages including fatal traffic accidents between Tripoli and Sirte while blocking the functioning of the administrative and executive services.

The grouping of civil society organisations urged, in its statement, to avoid giving a new opportunity to those who have failed to manage affairs in the past, especially those who lead the current political forces, insisting on the need to limit to a maximum of 18 months, the management of the transition that will be led by political organisations.

The statement also stressed the need to keep Libyans away from the fighting and to avoid touching infrastructure and sites or using them as a means of pressure in armed conflict, referring to the closure, by the forces of Marshal Haftar, of oil sites preventing the export of Libyan oil, which has resulted in losses estimated at more than 10 billion dollars.

The statement concludes that it is necessary to conduct the political process while promoting social reforms throughout Libya and establishing effective mechanisms for the implementation of decisions and recommendations.

The statement deplored the tragic situation Libyans face in various aspects of their lives, including economic and availability of essential services, warning against the risks associated with street uprisings.

-0- PANA AD/IN/IS/MTA/AR 14Sept2020