Leading Libyan figures appeal to boycotters to join HoR and appoint a national unity government

By Libya Herald staff.

31 October 2014:

A group of 52 leading Libyan political figures, ambassadors, academics, political activists and writers have called . . .[restrict]on members of the House of Representatives who have been boycotting its sessions in Tobruk to join their colleagues, ensure an end to the current conflict which they fear could end in civil war, and appoint a government of national unity.

In an appeal today addressed to all members of the House as well as to the UN Special Representative Bernardino Leon, the 52, who include former NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil, former Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, former deputy presidents of Congress Juma Ateega and Ezzidden Al-Awami and a raft of former ministers, said that the HoR was “the only legitimate body” and that the boycotters should join in, providing its legitimacy was based on inclusiveness.

They added that the legislature had to take “into account the need to ensure that parliament’s rules of procedure on decisions of special importance must be passed by consensus” – a reference to the boycotters’ demand that major issues should not become law unless passed by a two-thirds majority.

The 52 also that dialogue was the only solution to the current crisis, that the divide was putting the sacrifices of all who died for the revolution at risk and opening the country to “unacceptable” foreign interventions, and the dialogue led by Leon was the sole and “perhaps last chance” to rescue Libya from sliding into all-out civil war.

They also called for the reunited House to work immidately for an immediate end to the fighting in the country and to appoint a government of national unity that had widespread backing within parliament and within the country as a whole.

The text of the appeal is below:

Proposal for Supporting the UN Sponsored National Dialogue Process in Libya

Members of the Libyan House of Representatives

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya

Sensing the seriousness of the situation in our beloved country, which led to infighting between brothers and its disastrous consequences on the national social fabric and cohesion, which could lead to the end of our dream of establishing a democratic, united, and stable country.

Believing that dialogue is the only solution, to the current political conflict in Libya between all individuals and components, who condemn violence, terrorism, and declare their commitment to the peaceful democratic process as well as believing in the unity and sovereignty of the Libyan territories as basis of the dialogue.

Recognising the existence of a Libyan political disagreement about managing the transition period and that this disagreement has become an armed conflict amounting to daily casualties as well as displacing thousands of Libyans and threatening the loss of not only the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs of 17^th of February revolution, but also the elimination of any hope of survival of Libya as a united country governed by the rule of law, that respects the human rights and fundamental freedoms, where everyone enjoys prosperity and equality, and making the country prone to more unacceptable foreign interventions.

Convinced that the national dialogue led by Mr. Bernardino Leon (Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations) is the only and perhaps last chance to rescue Libya from the spectre of sliding into all-out civil war which will not be less worse and dangerous than other devastating civil wars. This requires us as Libyans to seize this historic opportunity which attracted unprecedented interest and consensus from the international community.

Fulfilling our national and moral duty towards our country and its great people, who are paying every day dearly, the cost of this disastrous political conflict.

We the undersigned, comprising of national figures, diplomats, intellectuals and independent journalists declare our full support to the national dialogue process, which began in Ghadames on 29^th of September 2014, and we pledge to support it, in order to achieve the following objectives:

1. Maintain the unity and sovereignty of Libya as unified democratic state.

2. Call on members of House of Representatives who are boycotting the parliament’s sessions to join their colleagues in the House of Representatives as the only legitimate body. With the condition that its legitimacy is based on the principle of inclusiveness and taking into account the need to ensure that parliament’s rules of procedure on decisions of special importance must be passed by consensus, as is the case in any democratic parliament in the world, and to be a parliament that makes all Libyan believe that they are represented, so that parliament, seeks, as soon as it is reunited, to work on the immediate cessation of the ongoing fighting in several areas of Libya.

3. Enhance the factors for the existence of a strong national unity government, backed by wide parliamentary and popular support to enable it to achieve both, its return to the capital Tripoli and consolidating security and stability and the completion of establishing the military and security institutions that are working to eliminate the proliferation of weapons outside the legitimate institutions as well as tackling those groups fighting the state and do not recognize its legitimacy and qualifies these institutions to take all the important decisions required at this phase.

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