Libyan Houses of Representatives participation in Morocco's consultations session extended
Moroccan foreign minister Mr Bourita announced that 111 members of opposed Libyan Houses of Representatives participated in this consultations session (including 35 Lawmakers) on its first day and they expect the number to increase to 120; Moroccan government extended this talks hosting invite to both parties.
The Moroccan government announced Wednesday that the duration of the consultative session of Libya's divided House of Representatives has been extended through Saturday.
Moroccan officials voiced that this decision was taken to enable the parties to discuss all the related topics freely.
The meeting started Tuesday in Tangier with the participation of Libya's parliamentarians, who are divided between the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli, and the self-acclaimed rival authorities based in the east and allied with putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar. It was initially expected to last for two days and end Wednesday.
One aim of these talks is to break the ice within the Libyan opposed parliaments and determine a date for a meeting in Libya to reach an agreement on the future Libyan united parliament
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said during a speech Tuesday at the meeting that one aim of these talks is to break the ice within the Libyan opposed parliaments and determine a date for a meeting in Libya to reach an agreement on the future Libyan united parliament, Bourita extended the invitation to stay in Tangier (Morocco) as much as needed by both parliaments on this consultative session to discuss all Libyan issues with high hopes to reach a thoroughly needed truce to progress in rebuilding Libya’s new institutions.
Moroccan foreign minister Mr Bourita announced that 111 members of the House of Representatives participated in this session (including 35 Lawmakers) on its first day and they expect the number to increase to 120.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Tuesday on Twitter that the meeting of “such a diverse range of parliamentarians” was a positive and welcome step, the UNSMIL added “We hope these consultations will fulfil the Libyan people's expectations for implementation of the roadmap agreed upon by the LPDF (Libyan Political Dialogue Forum) towards the holding of national elections on December 24, 2020,” it added.
Libya’s rival sides began the second round of talks Monday on a mechanism to choose a transitional government that would lead the conflict-stricken country to national elections next year.
U.N. acting envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams headed the LPDF's online meeting a week after the first round of the talks in Tunisia failed to name an executive authority.
The 75-member forum reached an agreement to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 24, 2021, as a result of the talks earlier. They also agreed to name a volunteer legal committee to work on the “constitutional basis for the election.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a meeting Tuesday in Moscow with Aguila Saleh, the president of the House of Representatives in eastern Tobruk, the Russian foreign ministry announced without further details about the said meeting, ahead of the meeting, Lavrov highlighted the fact that a sustainable cease-fire has been established in Libya, this information was confirmed but both belligerent parties didn’t withdraw from their actual combat positions.
Lavrov added that "Although there are still some issues to be solved, the (peace) process continues and gradually gains momentum," end quote.
Libya, the country with Africa's largest proven crude oil reserves, has been wracked by conflict for nearly a decade, since the overthrow and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Russia, Turkey and Egypt have been few of the main backers of Haftar’s insurgence in Libya since the beginning of the war.
Foreign mercenaries and arms have poured into the country since Haftar launched his offensive, the main Haftar’s supporters are Russia, Egypt, Algeria and regional separatists’ groups namely Polisario front based in southern Algeria.
The Russian Wagner Group, which is owned by businessperson Yevgeny Prigozhin, a figure close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sent mercenaries to fight in Libya. link2, Turkey had also been trying to recruit fighters from various Arab tribes in the terrorist YPG-held Hassakeh province of Syria to fight in Libya. A similar transfer of some 600 mercenaries from Syria's Homs province took place earlier.
Morocco condemns external interferences in Libya
Moroccan government voiced reputedly its positive and neutral approach to the two belligerent parties to host fair and open discussions in Morocco to reach consensus about Libya’s future far from foreign interventionism which he condemned openly arguing that it is risking to drive Libya’s unity to unknown outcomes.
