Libyan political dialogue forum, retention of Al-Sarraj and strength of ceasefire agreement highlighted in news

01 Novembre 2020

Tripoli, Libya, November 1 (Infosplusgabon) - Libyan newspapers this week gave extensive coverage to preparations for the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum scheduled for November 9 in Tunisia.

The forum is tasked with establishing a transition in the country through a new executive authority to prepare for the general election.

The participants also, according to the newspapers, requested the retention of the chairman of the presidential council of the Government of National Accord, Fayez Al-Sarraj, in his position until the appointment of members of the new authority to avoid a power vacuum.

The Libyan press was also interested in the doubts expressed about the respect of the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations.

They also dwelt on a new meeting between members of the Joint Military Commission 5 + 5 which must stand on Libyan soil to follow up on the ceasefire agreement and to convey the assent of political leaders on both sides to the agreed terms.

Under the headline "Forum in Tunisia could keep Al-Sarraj for an additional term", the Al-Wassat newspaper wrote that a week after the signing of the 5 + 5 agreement, which provides for a complete and permanent ceasefire in Libya, the agreement began to be subjected to the first test in the face of the heated controversy that arose over the list of participants in the Tunis Political Forum.

The paper also wrote on the mutual compromises between the two parties to the conflict over the violation of the ceasefire clause of the "military accord" in a manner that has pushed international and US pressure to the fore to preserve the current transitional government institutions, pending clarity of vision regarding the government of unity.

This situation may mean, according to the newspaper, the postponement of the resignation of al-Sarraj until the political climate allows it.

The newspaper reported that, a few days before the date set by al-Sarraj to leave his post at the end of October, the UN Mission in Libya expressed its "hope that Al-Sarraj will continue his work until the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum decides to appoint a new executive authority "as the US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland called on him to stay a little longer in his post.

There are many interpretations to al-Sarraj's attachment to the American willingness to calm Turkey down to accept the global dialogue process.

This comes at a time Washington sees the scenario of failure to reach agreements in Tunisia on November 9 as an option despite the increasing chances of a successful political settlement in Libya following the signing of the ceasefire agreement, Al-Wassat added.

It added that Washington continued to pressure both sides, regardless of who wins next week's US presidential elections.

The newspaper reported that since the launch of a Libyan preparatory meeting via video conference sponsored by the United Nations on Monday, October 26, and the announcement of a list of 75 Libyan personalities, there have been a series of reactions criticizing the United Nations Mission for the way it chose the names of the participants.

Preparatory discussions at the Tunis Forum aim, according to the newspaper, to choose a temporary executive authority to manage a transitional phase during which a referendum on a new Constitution and legislative and presidential elections will be organized with a view to transferring power to elected constitutional institutions.

Many voices expressed, according to Al-Wassat, their dissatisfaction with the list, with the most severe reaction coming from members of the House of Representatives who accused the United Nations of wanting to install "political Islam" in power while others denounced the existence of so-called "independent personalities".

In order to avoid the collapse of the ceasefire agreement, the newspaper added that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had revealed a mechanism to monitor its implementation.

It noted that the 5 + 5 Commission had recommended sending the ceasefire agreement to the Security Council with the aim of adopting a resolution guaranteeing respect for these agreements and their implementation by the whole internal and external partners.

Guterres added, as quoted by the newspaper, that "this demonstrates the extent of the commitment of the parties concerned to implement the agreement, while working to secure the support of the United Nations in this process of implementation of the Libyan-Libyan leadership and ownership."

The Afrigatenews newspaper indicated that the UN Mission in Libya had announced that the 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission was preparing to hold between November 2 and 4, the fifth round of talks, for the first times in Libya, more precisely in the city of Ghadames, an Oasis located in the South-West.

The series of negotiations come after the signing of the permanent ceasefire agreement between the two delegations on October 23 in Geneva, the electronic newspaper recalled.

Afrigatenews clarified that the Commission was meeting in the presence of the Acting Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Libya, Stephanie Williams.

The participants, it said, would discuss the mechanisms for implementing the permanent ceasefire agreement, including the creation of sub-committees, as well as mechanisms for monitoring and verifying the ceasefire.

Engaging in an assessment of the ceasefire, the Al-Wassat newspaper reported that a few days after the signing of the ceasefire in Libya, it appeared that compliance with the clause of the implementation freeze of the military agreements for training in Libya signed with third countries, "until the formation of a new government of national accord, is difficult to implement by the parties to the conflict”.

Due to the lack of trust between the parties, the newspaper indicated that each party reserved the right to freeze security agreements with its allies.

The newspaper concluded that in light of the internationalization that the Libyan conflict witnessed with the outbreak of the Tripoli war in April 2019, the declared departure of foreign "fighters and trainers" is crucial, due to the interpretation made by each camp.

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