Libyan peace – European Affairs Magazine

House of Representatives sets conditions for dialogue on Libyan Political Agreement

4 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

HoR (House of Representatives) did a pass toward reconciliation with the State Council, deciding to apply the LPA (Libyan Political Agreement) signed 16 month ago at Skhirat (Morocco). However, to implement it, HoR has imposed 6 points: 1. No foreign bodies (such as UNSMIL) to have any say on who takes part in discussions between the HoR and the State Council to amend the LPA, and the discussions must take place on Libyan soil; 2. The Presidency Council to consist of three people – a head and two deputies which will appoint a separate prime minister; 3. The prime minister to from a government to be submitted to the HoR for approval; 4. The State Council to consist of those elected to the General National Congress (GNC) on 7 July 2012; 5. Additional Article 8 (which calls for all powers of senior civil and military posts to be transferred to the Presidency Council) to be removed from LPA; 6. The Libyan National Army under the command of Field Marshal Khlifa Hafter and instituted by the HoR to be recognised as the sole legitimate armed force. If these conditions are respected, HoR declared the possibility to renew the dialogue between Libyan forces.

The Arab League, the European Union, the African Union, and the United Nations renewed their commitment to the Libyan stability

20 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The Arab League, the European Union, the African Union, and the United Nations renewed their commitment to the Libyan stability, sovereignty, integrity, and the unity of institutions emanating from the Libyan Political Agreement (PA) that signed in Skhirat, confirming the need for peaceful settlement to the Libyan crisis, refusing intimidation or use of military power, and the foreign intervention. The quadrilateral meeting has expressed its oppositions to recent violences in the Oil crescent, and told its preoccupation about recent violences in Tripoli. But it had recalled the necessity to overpass these conflicts to reach peace. The role of regional partners had been underlined, and EU has promised an economical help plan of E120 millions to deal about immigration.

Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria have unveiled a fresh initiative to further political reconciliation in Libya

22 Febbraio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

At the end of two days of talks on Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria have unveiled a fresh initiative to further political reconciliation in the country, but say any solution must be based on the December 2015 Skhirat agreement. The move follows the failure of Egyptian-hosted attempts at a meeting between Presidency Council head FaiezSerraj and the eastern military supremoKhalifaHafter. The three countries hope to organise a successful meeting between the pair. The ‘Tunis Declaration’, signed by Egyptian foreign minister SamehShoukry, Algerian Minister for Maghreb, African and Arab Affairs AbdelkaderMessahel and Tunisian foreign minister KhemaiesJhinaoui, also rejected foreign intervention or the use of force in finding a resolution and called for a unified Libyan military operating alongside the country’s various state institutions. At a press conference in Tunis today, the three said their countries would “step up efforts to achieve comprehensive reconciliation”. However, they added, ultimately “a viable settlement can only be achieved by the Libyan people themselves”. They also announced Algiers would host a further tripartite summit to further explore remedies to the crisis in Libya. No date was given. Tunisian president BejiCaidEssebi joined the deliberations for part of them.

Guterres denies that the UN is biased on Israeli-Palestinian issues

14 Febbraio 2017 Americas/BreakingNews @en/Middle East - Africa di

On monday U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he believed former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad was the right person to be the world body’s envoy to Libya after the United States raised objections to the choice. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has expressed disappointment over Guterres’s choice, saying the United Nations had for too long been “unfairly biased in favour of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel”. “It is a loss for the Libyan peace process and for the Libyan people that I am not able to appoint him” Guterres said at the World Government Summit in Dubai. “I do not think there is any valid reason to avoid someone who is very competent to do a job that is extremely important” he said, adding that ending the Libyan conflict was in “everybody’s interest.” It is unclear whether the U.S. objection has ended Fayyad’s candidacy. Guterres declined to answer questions when approached by Reuters immediately after his comments. Guterres dismissed the accusation that the United Nations is biased on Israeli-Palestinian issues and said the body’s only loyalty was to its charter.