Opinion

Is the Libyan political dialogue forum in Tunisia the triumph of the Muslim Brotherhood?

photo_camera Tuareg

The upcoming Libyan political dialogue forum sponsored by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya which was supposed to unite Libyan society has only provoked the discontent of the main powers on the Libyan dossier

An unlikely pause in hostilities in Libya preceded by the general ceasefire agreed by the parties to the conflict on October 23 in Geneva has paved the way for international diplomatic initiatives. In recent weeks, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya has launched a series of inter-Libyan negotiations aimed at achieving a stable ceasefire between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Government forces national agreement (GNA).

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum which is due to begin on November 9 in Tunisia is supposed to consolidate the achievements of moderately successful meetings organized by the United Nations mission in Ghadames and Bouznika. However, particular anomalies in the selection of participants raised doubts about the intention to respect the interests of all parties declared by the UN mission.

Out of 75 forum participants, 42 are either members of the Muslim Brotherhood or affiliated with the organization in some way, a leaked list of forum participants revealed. The predominance of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood has predictably provoked the discontent of major political powers who are suspicious of the organization’s agenda imposed on the country. This has already prompted supporters of former Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya, to refuse to attend the meeting.

In addition, a number of the tribal structures of the Berbers, Toubous and Tuaregs were totally excluded from the forum. Tribal representatives confirmed that their absence from the meeting would make any meaningful progress towards a political settlement impossible. Mohamed al-Misbahi, head of the office of the Supreme Council of Sheikhs and Notables of Libya, announced that the Council rejects the cheating of pushing the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya through the UN mission. 

Libia

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Tunisia is not quite capable of becoming an effective instrument of Libyan settlement. The obvious lack of balance in its list of participants and the exclusion of major players from Libya's complex political map laid the groundwork for the dramatic failure of the United Nations Mission initiative.

In addition, the majority of participants, primarily supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, are easily influenced and will follow the direction given to them by the Turkish authorities. This difficult situation, combined with the one-sided approach of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, headed by U.S. national Stephanie Williams, reflects an attempt to introduce political reforms beneficial to Turkey and the United States at the expense of interests of the Libyan people.

A solution to the protracted conflict in Libya will only be possible if the interests of all parties involved are equally respected. The promotion of one side and the exclusion of the main actors only deepens the divisions and further delays the resolution of the conflict.