Mobilization for peaceful solution in Libya and reactions to proclamation of ceasefire highlighted in the news

23 Août 2020

Tripoli, Libya, August 23 (Infosplusgabon) - The recent intense efforts in a race against time by countries of the international community to achieve a peaceful solution in Libya received wide coverage from Libyan newspapers this week.

Alongside this were reactions by the chairman of the presidential council, Fayez Al-Sarraj, and speaker of Parliament, Aguila Salah, to calls for an immediate ceasefire.

The Libyan press was also interested in the expected meeting in Morocco between the presidents of parliament, Salah, and the High Council of State, Khaled Al-Machri.

It is also the subject of outbidding between the two Libyan officials who have set preliminary conditions for this meeting.

Under the headline "Movements to promote a peaceful solution ... and caution with regard to the option of arms", the Al-Wassat newspaper wrote that the "demilitarized solution" proposed by the American ambassador in Libya, Richard Norland, and adopted by some influential countries in the Libyan crisis, was still the subject of political steps to resolve the Libyan crisis. It could also be a long race between a peaceful solution to the crisis and the possibility of a return to a military option.

In the same vein, the newspaper recalled the visit of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to Tripoli and his meeting with the chairman of the Presidential Council, Fayez Al-Sarraj, with whom he discussed a ceasefire and the option of disarming the Sirte region to be a neutral zone between the two parties to the conflict.

It called on all Libyan parties to make concessions to reach a political agreement, in accordance with the results of Berlin.

The newspaper added that Al-Sarraj's response to the German minister was that "the government of national accord has no objection to the ceasefire after discussing all its details".

The Turkish response came from the spokesperson for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, who considered that the German invitation "can be accepted in principle by Turkey".

The spokesperson for the general command of Haftar's forces, General Ahmed Al-Mesmari, commented on the German proposal, stating that "Berlin fell under the influence of other powers, and changed the course of the Conference of Berlin on Libya and its results".

The newspaper said Al-Mesmari stressed that "the area which should be demilitarized is that of Tripoli ".

The German proposal for a demilitarized zone did not prevent fears of war, expressed by the Minister of the Interior of the Government of National Accord, Fathi Bachagha, during his meeting with Turkey's defense minister, Hulusi Akar and that of Qatar, Khaled Al-Attiya, in Tripoli.

The newspaper specified that the minister underlined "the need to be wary of the dangers which still await us in Libya, because the war can resume at any time".

The Al-Wassat newspaper reported that in the meantime, the commander of the guard of the oil installations under Haftar, General Naji Al-Maghribi, announced that there was no objection to the opening of the ports and oil facilities, based on Marshal Khalifa Haftar's decision, after meeting with Libyan Oil Company board member Jadallah Al-Awakli and the chairman of the Arab Gulf Oil Board of Directors, Mohamed Ben Chatwan.

The opening of oil export ports represents the second major demand in the political solutions package, which begins with an agreement on a decision for a definitive ceasefire in Libya, the newspaper recalled, adding that General Al -Maghribi justified this step by the need to alleviate the suffering of citizens in all aspects of life, preserve infrastructure and preserve existing oil installations, including drilling equipment and other things.

The newspaper concluded that there was no affirmative data as yet that the political solution had come close, and no one categorically aspired to a confrontation and further explosion of the situation.

Therefore, the possibilities remained open in a country where the unity of the state was eroding and the daily crises made its citizens suffer, which threatened a social explosion like what the Lebanese streets were experiencing.

Afrigatenews clarified that the German Foreign Ministry also called on all parties in Libya to adhere to an immediate ceasefire in the country as did Italy which also welcomed the Libyan ceasefire agreement.

The Geman oein minisy also said i would continue to support the United Nations efforts in Libya in line with the results of the Berlin Conference.

Canada also announced its support for the declaration of a ceasefire in Libya and its government called on the parties to the conflict to resume dialogue, the newspaper said.

Quoting a diplomatic source at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Afrigatenews announced that Moscow welcomed statements by the Presidential Council of the National Accord Government and the Tobruk House of Representatives to halt military operations throughout the national territory.

It is recalled that the chairman of the presidential council of the Government of National Accord, Fayez Al-Sarraj, and the speaker of the Parliament, Aguila Salah, issued on Friday two statements announcing a ceasefire in the whole of Libyan territory.

They also stressed the importance of "resuming the production and export of oil, and freezing its income in a special account at the Libyan foreign bank until a political settlement is reached.

Al-Sarraj's statement stressed the importance of making Sirte and Al-Joufra demilitarized zones and called for presidential and legislative elections next March, while Salah called for making Sirte, a temporary capital of the new presidential council.

Addressing an upcoming meeting of the belligerents in Morocco, the Al-Wassat newspaper noted that the presidents of the House of Representatives (Parliament) and of the High Council of State presented reciprocal conditions for the resumption of the political process likely to be hosted by the Moroccan city of Rabat, immediately after reaching an agreement to liberate the regions of Sirte and Joufra from arms.

As Washington pushes to speed up the return of the Libyan affair to the political negotiating table and the parties to end the military escalation in Sirte and Al-Joufra, Salah hailed the invitation of the president of the Council of State, Khaled Al-Machri, to meet him in Morocco, on condition that he recognized the "Cairo initiative".

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/AGF/GABON2020

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