Panafrican News Agency

Libyan Foreign Minister urges greater Arab support for Libya to hold elections

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Najla Al-Mangouch on Tuesday urged the Ministerial meeting of the Arab League Council to pay more attention to Libya, calling on them to support her country to achieve fair national elections on a legal basis.

"My position today as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Libyan State, and based on the position of the Government of National Unity (GNU) rejecting the return of war to our country, implies a historical responsibility for us to ensure that the issue of my country is not just another item on the agenda of our honourable council or other international fora for years to come," Al-Mangouch.

The Libyan minister chaired the council's 158th session of the Arab League Council at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

She added that with the hard work and national will of Libyans, and with the support of "their Arab brothers, which must continue, we will be able to hold national elections in Libya in accordance with fair and just laws, and before that, create the appropriate conditions to hold them in all regions of Libya".

Al-Mangouch recalled that this is a fulfilment of the will of more than 2 million Libyans who collected their voter cards to participate in the elections at the end of last year.

The polls scheduled for 24 December were postponed due to political, security and judicial appeals against the candidates, plunging the country into a stalemate in the political process which was aggravated by the emergence of two rival governments.

A situation that has led to increased tension in the country leading to armed clashes.

Libyan Foreign Minister said that the Libyan people have had enough of the scourge of war, division, terrorism and the consequences of foreign interference in recent years.

"We are aware of the difficulty of the transitional stages and the obstacles that arise for the democratic transition, but at the same time we believe in the strong will of our people for peace and development."

Al-Mangouch said Libya looks forward to her Arab brothers supporting them in their efforts to achieve these goals.

She said the Prime Minister of the GNU, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, maintains his firm position on holding national elections in Libya.

The Libyan head of diplomacy pointed out that the GNU has also renewed its call on the legislative branch to fulfil its obligation to complete the constitutional basis and the laws regulating the elections.

Talks between Parliament and the High Council of State under the auspices of the United Nations failed to reach a consensus on a constitutional basis to serve as a legal framework for the holding of the elections, stumbling over the eligibility of dual nationals and military officers.

"We affirm our continued readiness to implement the national elections by providing logistical and security services, including our full and continued support to the High National Elections Commission," Al-Mangouch reiterated.

The Libyan Foreign Minister stressed that the stability of her country is of regional and international interest.

She recalled that Libya has suffered from the scourge of terrorism and its dangers, saying that they are focusing efforts on strengthening the capacities of the border guards and security services, and on developing the capacities of the security institutions.

The continuation of these efforts is linked to not returning Libya to the war zone.

Referring to the economic situation, Al-Mangouch praised the ability of Libya's oil and gas sectors to raise oil production to 1.244 million barrels per day and condensate production to 54,000 barrels.

She said these figures reflect the trend of stability and recovery in the energy sector in light of the world's motivation and interest in the issue of securing energy supplies and related issues.

Turning to the support of Arab countries, the Libyan minister said that for the record, the Arab Foreign Ministers' Council of March 2011 was instrumental in transferring the Libyans' request to the UN Security Council to establish a no-fly zone to protect civilians.

At that time, she recalls, it was a decisive position in the course of events in the country, just as the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers had another pivotal position in the Libyan crisis, in September 2018, by refusing to recognise the parallel government at the time, and limiting recognition to the Government of National Accord as the legitimate government of Libya.

The Arab League Council also supported the decisions and outcomes of the Libyan Political Agreement signed in Skhirat in December 2015, she said.

Al-Mangouch renewed her call to preserve the Arab consensus by supporting national elections and a peaceful solution and to declare together the unity of the Arab position.

She also urged the reactivation of the Quartet Committee for Libya, so that the League of Arab States can collaborate with the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, members of the Quartet, and coordinate regional and international efforts to implement the commitments of all parties to the decisions of the UN-sponsored Political Dialogue Forum and the Berlin Conferences 1 and 2.

She proposed to her colleagues to hold the next consultative meeting at the level of Arab Foreign Ministers in Tripoli, which almost a year ago hosted an international conference in support of Libyan stability.

-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/MA 6Sept2022