Political solution in Libya a step closer
Libya has taken a step closer to resolving the situation that has kept the country in conflict since the death of Muammar Gaddafi almost a decade ago. The Egyptian town of Hurghada has hosted the second session of meetings of the Libyan Constitutional Commission, three months after the first, which will be responsible for drafting a new Magna Carta for the country.
The complicated situation in Libya has forced a multitude of actors, from countries to international organisations, to put maximum effort into mediation and the development of forums of all kinds to try to take steps towards a solution that will put an end to the conflict. Countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt have hosted meetings at different levels in recent months, mainly at the military and political level. In Libya, the tangle of interests, dynamics and movements is making it very difficult to develop the talks. In addition, of course, to the interference of third countries such as Turkey and Russia.
Both sides agreed on Wednesday to hold a referendum to endorse the new constitution to be developed for the country, and insisted that it should be held this year. In order to decide on a fixed date, the two sides met again in the Egyptian city from 9 to 11 February. Another point agreed upon was the steps to be taken once the new constitution has been drafted. On the part of the LNA, it will be presented to the Libyan House of Representatives, based in Tobruk, in the east of the country. For its part, the GNA will do the same with the High State Council, located in Tripoli, the country's capital. Each of the delegations that attended this session of meetings was made up of ten members, who will be responsible for providing the legal basis for the future that the country is trying to build.
The United Nations, which is closely following all these sessions, being one of the main mediating organisations, has pointed out the importance of the constitutional agreement that is being forged. According to the special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, who intervened by videoconference in the session in Hurghada, this is the basis on which everything else is based. "If this does not go ahead, other issues such as security and the economy will be greatly affected", she said.
Thus, in addition to the Constitutional Commission, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and the Libyan 5+5 Military Committee have also taken parallel steps in the same direction. The latter, for example, made possible the establishment of a ceasefire that has been largely honoured by both sides, not without difficulties. It also seeks to encourage the departure of the mercenaries present in Libya on both sides, something that Russia and Turkey, the main supporters of each side, have been more reluctant to do. The Libyan 5+5 Military Committee also seeks the opening of the Libyan coastal highway, which connects the two warring regions and would boost reconstruction, the movement of people and goods, and trade.
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is in charge of establishing the interim executive until elections, scheduled for December this year, can be safely held in the country. The LPDF has also made progress this week, having voted in favour of the mechanism for selecting the new interim government with a large majority. Of the 75 members of this forum, 73% voted in favour of the mechanism, 10 points more than the minimum required for the vote to be valid.
This step has not been easy, and in view of the results, not unanimous either. Since the end of last year, meetings have been held to move in this direction, but the members of the LPDF, who were chosen by UNSMIL, the United Nations mission in Libya, were unable to reach an agreement. Finally, a small group, representative of the 75 members, was tasked with developing a proposal last week in Geneva. This proposal has been voted on in recent days, with a favourable outcome.
This announcement was widely welcomed by the United Nations. Its Secretary-General, António Guterres, expressed his support for the dialogue processes and the need to provide UNSMIL with a clear but flexible mandate that is capable of adapting to the situation in the country. He also urged all those countries that try to interfere in the development of these negotiations to refrain from such interference, as it is detrimental to a society that has been mired in instability and violence for a decade. Similarly, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has applauded the agreement and welcomed recent developments.
Fayez Sarraj, the head of the Government of National Accord supported by much of the international community, is on the brink. The Libyan leader tried to resign last summer, but the situation in the country and international pressure forced him to stay on.
However, his position has also been strongly contested, as the need to rely on militias, many of them Islamist in nature, has caused great concern in many capitals, which have viewed with suspicion many of the moves he has made, including the agreements with Turkey. In fact, despite the advances that are being announced, Sarraj has announced the creation of a new security group in the Libyan capital, which will be controlled by the leaders of some of these militias on which he relies to maintain territorial control with the support of mercenaries sent by Turkey.
This decision has been harshly criticised by Stephanie Williams, who warned that any attempt to torpedo the development of the negotiations will have consequences. She also reminded that any political agreement must go through the LPDF. This group, known as the Tripoli Defence Force, has already expressed its opposition to the mechanism approved by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, as, according to them, the United Nations has tried to influence the votes for its adoption
