Intensive American action regarding reconciliation and dialogue in Libya

Middle East: Khaled Mahmoud
Richard Norland, the US special envoy to Libya, said that during his meeting in Tripoli, on Wednesday, with Abdullah Batili, head of the United Nations mission, he expressed his country’s strong support for his efforts to engage the actors in dialogue in order to advance the political process, noting their agreement in the meeting he attended. Jash Harris, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and Jeremy Brent Norland, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy, ​​stated that “the remaining contentious political issues can only be resolved through dialogue and concessions.” They also discussed the importance of a unified plan for the reconstruction of Derna and the areas affected by the floods.

Norland explained that “the American delegation discussed with Tamer Mostafa, the Egyptian Ambassador to Libya, ways through which Egypt and the United States can work with all Libyan parties to resolve the outstanding political issues and advance the political process,” noting that the delegation’s discussion with Farhat Ben Qaddara, President “National Oil Corporation”, strategy for increasing production. He said that Libya’s economic future “depends on the energy sector, and the corporation’s ability to maintain and develop production must be protected,” expressing his country’s aspiration to cooperate with the corporation to achieve common goals in the field of climate change.

For his part, Batelli stressed the importance of having what he described as “a unified Libyan leadership working to achieve reconciliation, with concerted efforts and a common vision.” He said that he agreed with Mohamed Al-Menfi, head of the Presidential Council, during their meeting, on Tuesday evening, in the capital, Tripoli, to “continue close cooperation in order to reach consensus on a unified government to lead the country to elections, as it is a basic condition for achieving sustainable peace and stability.” in Lybia”. After explaining that they discussed ways to advance the Libyan political process, Batelli praised “the constructive role of Al-Manfi and his firm commitment to promoting stability and peace in Libya.”

On Tuesday evening in the city of Benghazi, the American delegation discussed with Khalifa Haftar, Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, the importance of supporting Battili’s efforts to bring the actors together, “and for Libyan leaders from all parties to work together to ensure an appropriate environment that enables the Libyans to choose their representatives freely.” Libya is preparing for the upcoming municipal elections.

The delegation also stressed “the United States’ support for the efforts made to unify the Libyan army, preserve Libyan sovereignty, and ensure that reconstruction efforts in Derna and other areas affected by the floods are implemented in a timely and transparent manner.” Based on expert assessments and the needs of the people.”

The US embassy said that the delegation discussed with Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, “the importance of advancing the political process to allow the Libyan people to elect their leaders, and expressed its appreciation for the work of the joint (6 + 6) committee between the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State.” He stressed the importance of actors coming together to address the remaining contentious political issues, including forming a caretaker government. The meeting also discussed the importance of “Libyans from all parties working together; “To ensure that there is an appropriate environment that enables them to choose their representatives freely.”

Haftar said that he discussed with the American delegation the importance of advancing the political process in Libya to the point of holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, and “the need for the United Nations mission to make more balanced and effective efforts to achieve the aspirations and hopes of the Libyan people.”

The American delegation was quoted as emphasizing “the importance of coordination and cooperation between the General Command and the United States of America in combating terrorism and extremism, and the importance of the main role of the National Army forces in maintaining security and stability in Libya, and the positive impact this has on the countries of the region in general.”

For his part, Aguila Saleh also stressed during his meeting with the American delegation that “the House of Representatives has accomplished what is required of it in terms of the constitutional rule, the issuance of electoral laws, and the mechanism for electing a unified government that organizes the elections,” and he promised that “any attempts to open new dialogues or new agreements will bring us back to square one.” The first,” pointing out that “what is required now is the formation of one unified government that will organize and supervise the electoral process.”

In addition, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, head of the “interim” Libyan unity government, reiterated his “refusal to voluntarily relinquish power.” He defended “the role of the armed militias loyal to his government,” amid international and American calls to form a “new government” to supervise the postponed presidential and parliamentary elections.

After he said that he “refuses to hand over power to any interim government,” Al-Dabaiba repeated, in statements broadcast by local media on Tuesday evening, his demand for what he described as “fair election laws that do not exclude anyone in Libya, whether current or new candidates, and in which all “Libyans are equal,” adding, “We want to go to elections after these laws, and we are discussing with the new parliament the formation of a government as soon as possible.”

Al-Dabaiba said, referring to his political opponents, that he “closed the door on those who corrupted Libya, from parties and external and internal parties,” pointing out that “these corrupted the Libyans and Libya for 10 years with their absolute rule and established wars. They also caused electricity outages and came close to dividing Libya, and we “Facing the reality of 10 years of control.” He described the armed militia members as “our sons and our beloved ones, and they are the ones who entered the streets and defended our honor and sanctities.” He said that the militias were “the ones who defended Libya from the invader, and from those who want to destroy this country.”

Although he admitted that there were what he described as some violations committed by these militias, he claimed that they were “disciplined forces that train with the police and the army.”