Libyan political dialogue launched in Tunisia, sources reveal talks to form new government

CAIRO -10 November 2020: The activities of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum were launched Monday in Tunis under the slogan “Libya First” with the participation of 75 Libyan personalities.

The forum launched to reach a fruitful dialogue to come up with a solution to the current Libyan crisis and define the next stage for building a democratic path in the country.

Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Libya, Stephanie Williams, said that the Libyan people are on the threshold of a new phase after years of division, wars, and destruction, stressing that the people have the right to feel stability.

Williams explained that the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva between the conflicting parties on October 23, contributed to facilitating the atmosphere between the Libyan parties despite the new reality imposed by the Corona pandemic in Libya and Tunisia, noting that the members of the current forum cooperated to contribute to reaching consensual solutions to the Libyan crisis.

Williams noted the necessity of moving from transitional stages to certainty and then achieving stability and prosperity in Libya.

For his part, Tunisian President Kais Said stressed that the meeting of the Libyan Political Forum in Tunis is a historic one, as it falls within the framework of the efforts made in Tunisia and also within the framework of the United Nations' efforts aimed at setting clear dates to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The Tunisian president said, "There is no place for tutelage over the Libyan people by any title and in any way, and there is no room for dividing Libya," referring to the presence of external forces that have worked and are still working to divide Libya.

He pointed out that the Libyan people are among the most homogeneous people in the world and can overcome all difficulties and obstacles if forces from outside do not interfere in their internal affairs.

The Tunisian president clarified during his speech that one of the means that can calm the situation is to focus on unifying Libya. "Tunisia rejects the division of Libya because all Libyans reject it, as itposes a threat to the entire region and would be a convincing introduction to the division of other neighboring countries," he added.

Said asserted that Tunisia will exertutmost efforts to activate an interim constitution for this transitional phase in Libya, and highlighted the need to set a specific date for the elections.

It is noteworthy that the participants in the Libyan political dialogue sessions in Tunisia represent different groups from the Libyan House of Representatives and the Higher Council of State, in addition to political forces outside the scope of the twoinstitutions, in light of the firm commitment to the meaningful participation of women, youth and minorities, so that the dialogue is inclusive of all sects of the Libyan people.

Libyan sources told Egypt Today that the Tunis meetings will discuss the formation of a new Libyan government to run the country's affairs over a period of several months, explaining that the United Nations mission aims to form a Libyan presidential council managed byFayez al-Sarraj. This is in addition to nominating a deputy from the south of the country, most notably Ambassador Abdel-MajidSeif al-Nasr, and another deputy representing the eastern region.

Moreover, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, confirmed that the Libyan Political Forum held in Tunis represents an opportunity to resolve the differences of the Libyans, underlining that the future of Libya is more importantthan any partis an differences and now the future of Libya will be determined by the participants in the forum.

He added in a recorded speech broadcast during the forum, on Monday, that this meeting does not aim to test the determination of its participants, but rather to solve the crisis, adding: "“Now it is your turn to shape the future of your country. Your commitment to this process will help restore Libyan sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions. As you engage in dialogue to resolve your differences, your determination will be tested."

“However, compromise is the only approach that will pave the road to national unity”, he said. “The future of Libya is now in your hands.”

On November 4, the two delegations of the Libyan Joint Military Committee (5 + 5) reached an agreement on the terms of implementing the ceasefire agreement, according to the United Nations Acting Support Envoy in Libya Stephanie Williams.

According to the agreement signed in Geneva at the end of October, a period of 90 days was set for the departure of all foreign forces from Libyan territory.

"It was also agreed to hold the first meeting of the subcommittee in Sirtein addition to setting a date for November 16 to hold a meeting in Brega, east of the country, to discuss unifying the Petroleum Facilities Guard," Williams said.

The two parties also agreed to establish joint military engineering teams to clear mines in cooperation with UN experts, to immediately resume flights to the cities of Ghadames and Sabha, in addition to the Joint Military Committee's request to the Security Council to issue a binding decision to fully implement the provisions of the ceasefire agreement, according to the UN envoy.

Libya has been marred in violence between competing forces, militias, and extremists since the toppling and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The conflict now pits the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal KhalifaHaftar, for control of the country.