Libyan leaders from different factions have agreed on a set of measures to end the political stalemate in the country and pave the way for elections, according to a statement by the League of Arab States on Sunday.
The statement, which was reported by the Russian news outlet Sputnik Africa, said that the Secretary-General of the LAS, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, met with Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed al-Menfi, Libyan House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh and Supreme Council of State President Mohamed Takala in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss the situation in Libya.
The meeting was part of the efforts to implement the roadmap adopted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in November 2020, which called for holding presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24, 2021.
The LAS statement said that the Libyan leaders agreed on the following points:
– Forming a unified government tasked with overseeing the electoral process and providing necessary services to citizens.
– Forming a technical committee to evaluate revisions to the election law and resolve outstanding issues on controversial points in accordance with existing legislation.
– Supporting the work of the High National Elections Commission and providing it with the necessary resources and security.
– Respecting the ceasefire agreement signed in October 2020 and withdrawing all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.
– Preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya and rejecting any external interference.
The LAS statement also expressed appreciation for the role of the United Nations and its envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, in facilitating the dialogue and mediation among the Libyan parties.
Libya has been mired in a political and security crisis since the overthrow and killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which resulted in the emergence of two rival administrations in the east and the west of the country, backed by different regional and international actors.
The UN has been leading a peace process to end the conflict and reunite the country under a single authority. However, the process has faced several challenges and delays, including the failure to agree on a constitutional framework for the elections and the refusal of the incumbent Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, to step down.
The latest meeting in Cairo comes amid rising tensions and violence in the capital, Tripoli, where clashes erupted last week between armed groups supporting Dbeibah and his rival, Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed Prime Minister by the parliament in the east.
The UN has warned that the ongoing stalemate and the lack of progress on the electoral process pose a growing threat to the security and stability of Libya and the region. The UN has urged the Libyan leaders to put the interests of the Libyan people above their personal and political ambitions and to work together to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition.