Two-day meeting on Libya crisis produces few positive results and no new plans

(November 11) After a two-day meeting of members of the Libyan Political Dialogue that discussed the political process and obstacles to implementing the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) no new suggestions were made to resolve the political crisis.

The GNA together with the UN envoy Martin Kobler have been trying for months to have the House of Representatives pass a vote of confidence in the GNA as required by the LPA. So far, the HoR has rejected the GNA twice, the last time on August 22. The GNA was to present a new slimmed-down cabinet of 8 members. Well over two months later, there is still no sign of members having been chosen. There is no date set or deadline for any vote in the HoR on the issue.

A key reason why the HoR will not accept the GNA and LPA as things are, is that the LPA has a provision that makes the Presidential Council (PC) of the GNA commander in chief. Neither the HoR nor Field Marshal Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army of the HoR government, will accept this and want the section deleted. Haftar wants to remain commander of the armed forces. Kobler has insisted that the LPA can be amended only after it is passed as it is. I thought that the meeting in Malta might result in the amendment of the LPA by the Libyan Dialogue Members who originally signed it. This obviously did not happen. Without such a move it seems difficult to see how the GNA will be able to obtain a vote of confidence from the HoR.

In the statement following the meetings found on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) there is not even a mention of the need for the GNA to obtain a vote of confidence from the HoR. There is no mention either of the PC presenting a new list of cabinet members to the HoR. The statement only calls on the HoR to amend the Constitutional Declaration as required by the LPA. This would incorporate the GNA into the constitution. It seems unlikely that the HoR would do this since they do not recognize the GNA. Until they are willing to vote confidence in the GNA it seems unlikely that they would agree to incorporate it in the constitution.

The statement urged the PC "to improve its performance to address the stifling security, social and economic problems that face Libyan citizens across the country." This is a recommendation that probably met almost universal agreement among members. The group also calls upon all parties not to use violence or weapons to solve conflicts.

The group also commended the progress in fighting and defeating terrorism in Libya without mentioning specific actions such as the offensive against Sirte or naming any person or groups responsible for the progress, Nothing which could be the least bit offensive to anyone is allowed to appear in most of the statement. The group also welcomed local attempts at reconciliation.

The group decided that they would continue to discuss obstacles to peace at a further meeting to take place in mid-December. The Libya Herald in its coverage notes that many of the proposals in the statement are unlikely to be implemented. There is another meeting on the situation in Libya sponsored by the African Union. At the meeting, Idriss Déby Itno, President of Chad, who chaired the meeting said, “there is no military solution” for Libya. So far there is no solution of any kind. Khalifa Haftar has claimed that there is a military solution.