Back to Division! UN Seeks to Steady Course on Libya

ALBAWABA - Nobody is quite sure what is happening in Libya. The issue of reconciliation and one country is becoming very tenuous with the return to rival governments. What happened to UN mediation is becoming problematic especially since the eastern parliament  based in Tobrouk just elected Fathi Bashagha as a prime Minister, leaving the UN recognized Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and who is based in Tripoli, high-and-dry. 

A report by Anadolu states that Dbeibeh has welcomed a US-European statement on holding elections in Libya. It adds the statement by the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy is  “in harmony” with his government’s plan to hold the vote in Libya next June.

"We have followed the statement of the five states on the situation in Libya, which is in harmony with the UN statement which stresses on the priority of continuing the electoral path," Dbeibeh said on Twitter.

The five countries made a statement on Friday calling on "all actors [in Libya] to refrain from actions that could undermine stability in Libya," whilst  it urges the Libyan House of Representative (parliament) and High Council of State to fully cooperate with UN efforts and proposal to establish "a consensual constitutional basis that would lead to national elections as soon as possible," according to the Turkish-based agency. 

Last  Friday, UN adviser to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Libya, Stephanie Williams, called on the two assemblies to nominate delegates for "a joint committee dedicated to developing a consensual constitutional basis." Williams said the committee is expected to convene on March 15 "under the auspices of the UN [...] to work for a two-week period to achieve this goal."

Williams's call came a day after the country's eastern-based parliament swore in a prime minister in a challenge to interim premier Dbeibah  and this is a move observers fear could tip Libya into a new schism AFP reports. 

She warned in a series of tweets that "the solution to Libya's crisis does not lie in forming rival administrations and perennial transitions".

She made an appeal to both bodies to get to the negotiating table. The chief of the High Council of State Khalid Al Mishri welcomed her offer, saying the body had already "adopted a constitutional basis last September that could be built upon to find a national consensus".

"Yes to elections, no to extensions," he added. but the eastern-based parliament had  not issue an immediate public response according to the French news agency. 

Williams's proposal comes after presidential and parliamentary elections, set for December 24 as part of a UN-brokered peace process, were abandoned amid bitter disputes over their constitutional and legal footing as well as the candidacies of several highly contested figures.

That had dashed hopes of drawing a line under a decade of conflict since the 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Muammar Qadhafi.

The country endured two rival governments from 2014 to early 2021, when Dbeibah's administration was approved by key factions following a ceasefire late the previous year.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States voiced concern Friday at the latest developments, including "reports of violence, threats of violence, intimidation and kidnappings" AFP continued. 

"Any disagreement on the future of the political process must be resolved without resorting to violence," foreign ministers from the five countries said in a joint statement.

Last  Thursday, Libya found itself once again with two prime ministers — Tripoli-based Dbeibah, who has refused to cede power except to an elected government, and former interior minister Fathi Bashagha, backed by the parliament hundreds of miles to the east.
Williams earlier Friday urged all sides to refrain from "acts of escalation" and pushed politicians to "engage constructively together to move towards elections, for the sake of the 2.8 million Libyans who registered to vote" last year the French agency ended. 

The UN proposal comes amid a deep political rift in Libya where the Tobruk-based parliament on Thursday gave confidence to a new government headed by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha while Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh insists on continuing with his post and duties as Prime Minister Anadolu adds. 

The Dbeibeh government said it would consider any attempt to storm its headquarters an "attack against the government,” vowing to “deal with such moves in accordance with the law."

​​​​Dbeibeh came to power based on the outcomes of the Libyan Dialogue Forum that set the term of the transitional executive authority at 18 months, extending until June 24.