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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 11 January 2015:
The governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US have welcomed UN . . .[restrict]Special Representative to Libya Bernadino Leon’s announcement of a new round of political dialogue in Geneva this week, though it is still unclear which parties will participate in the talks.
According to United National Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Leon has invited neither the Beida government, headed by Abdullah Al-Thinni, nor the Omar Al-Hassi-led Tripoli regime.
The Thinni government has, however, said it supported the talks and that it was in constant communication with UNSMIL.
Hassi’s camp has made no statement regarding the fact that it will not be represented at the talks.
There are divisions, however, within Libya Dawn’s ranks over participation in the dialogue. The leaders of the Misrata-based Central Libya Shield and the “17 Group” (leaders of a number of Misratan brigades seen as not ideologically motivated but loyal first and foremost to the city) approved the Geneva talks following their meeting with Leon in Tripoli last week. On the other hand, there are some Misratans saying that dialogue is a waste of time because, they believe, Libya Dawn is winning on the ground. Others in Libya Dawn, particularly those with a more Islamist focus, are even more opposed, especially after Leon’s meeting in Marj with General Khalifa Hafter.
Indicating the divisions, the Libya Dawn Media Centre has claimed that the General National Congress (GNC) was not in agreement on the Geneva talks and that it still had to inform UNSMIL of its approval or rejection.
“It is obvious that Leon seeks to ‘stir up’ the crisis by making it a greater international issue, thus extending the life of the crisis and giving Hafter and his ‘coupist’ gang more time to become part of the dialogue,” the Libya Dawn Media Centre posted on its official Facebook page.
In fact, a member of the continuing Congress told reporters yesterday that there is support for the Geneva meeting and that the concern now is to persuade all Libya Dawn members to accept it.
On the other side, there is also a voice within Operation Dignity and the House of Representatives that likewise thinks that it is winning and that dialogue is not needed.
Aldayri:
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