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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 26 October 2020:
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum process begins virtually today, and the live meeting will begin on November 09 in Tunis, UNSMIL announced yesterday.
UNSMIL said ‘‘The resumption of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum comes at a time of overwhelming hope following the signing of a permanent ceasefire agreement across Libya on October 23rd. Consultation meetings with several Libyan parties in previous months have facilitated the relaunch of the Libyan political forum’’.
As the United Nations celebrates the 75th anniversary of the entry into force of its Founding Charter, the UN mission invites 75 participants from across Libya representing all segments of Libyan political and social society to participate in the first meeting of the Libyan Comprehensive Political Forum through the visual communication mechanism. The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum is a comprehensive Libyan-Libyan dialogue held on the basis of the outcome of the Berlin Conference on Libya, which was ratified by the Security Council in Resolution 2510 (2020) and Security Council Resolution 2542(2020).
The participants in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (listed in alphabetical order) were selected from different categories, based on the principles of inclusiveness and equitable geographical, political, tribal and social representation. This group includes representatives of the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of state, as well as political actors outside the two institutions, and with a firm commitment to the meaningful participation of women, youth and minorities so that the dialogue is inclusive of all the spectrums and components of the Libyan people’’, UNSMIL explained. Unsurprisingly, the list has led to much debate amongst Libyans.
UNSMIL explained that the first meeting of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum allows members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to be provided with the latest developments in the economic and military tracks, the human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as to hear the recommendations that have so far resulted from the meetings held by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General with representatives of Libyan society from municipalities, women, youth and civil society organizations.
UNSMIL said that in an effort to ensure transparency and clarity, it will continue to provide innovative solutions – through interactive tools – to ensure that as many Libyans as possible participate in the political dialogue. It will also launch an interactive website to receive contributions from Libyans and their comments on the progress of the forum during the Tunis meeting and future meetings as part of the Process of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
UNSMIL called on all participants in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to shoulder their responsibilities before the Libyan people, to engage constructively and in good faith in the talks and to place Libya and the public interest above all considerations. It expressed its appreciation for the commitment of the Forum participants to their written commitment to remove themselves from political and sovereign positions during the run-up to the elections. It also said it appreciates the sense of responsibility and patriotism of those who have chosen to withdraw from the political dialogue forum because they want to run for executive positions at the preliminary stage – this enhances transparency and the legitimacy of this process.
The ultimate goal of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum is to find consensus on a unified executive authority and on the arrangements for national elections to be held in the shortest possible time frame in order to restore Libya’s sovereignty and give democratic legitimacy to Libyan institutions. In this regard, in order to ensure an orderly and smooth transition of power in the preliminary phase, the UNSMIL reiterated its thanks to Faiez Sarraj, the internationally recognized Libyan Prime Minister, for his support of the political process and his sense of responsibility for ensuring an orderly and smooth transition of power. It hoped that Sarraj will continue to serve Libya by continuing his work as prime minister and remain until the time when the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum decides to appoint a new executive authority.
Immediate and permanent ceasefire agreement throughout Libya signed in Geneva
