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LIBYA-CONFLICT-DIPLOMACY
Italy hosts Libya players in fresh bid to solve crisis
PALERMO, Italy, Nov 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Libya’s key political players including
strongman Khalifa Haftar met with global leaders in Italy on Monday in the latest bid
by major powers to kickstart a long-stalled political process and trigger elections.
A summit in Paris in May had seen the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord
(GNA) and eastern Libya strongman Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10,
but that date has fallen by the wayside.
Acknowledging the chaotic political situation since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was
deposed in 2011, the United Nations on Thursday conceded elections will not be viable
before at least the spring of 2019.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte welcomed Haftar in the Sicilian capital Palermo
after days of doubts over his crucial presence.
Haftar decided not to attend a working dinner at the Villa Igiea venue, with
roundtable talks set for Tuesday morning.
“Haftar already succeeding in making the Palermo Conference about the importance of
his role in any potential agreement in Libya going forward and reinforcing his position
as the key actor in the Libyan crisis,” said Mohamed ElJarh, CEO of research and
consulting firm Libya Outlook.
Analysts say the Sicily summit risks being compromised not only by tensions between
Libyan factions but also the competing agendas of foreign powers.
Just as in May, the key Libyan invitees are Haftar, the eastern parliament’s speaker
Aguila Salah, GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj and Khaled al-Mechri, speaker of a Tripoli-based
upper chamber.
In an interview with AFP, Sarraj urged the international community on Thursday to find
a “common vision” for the future of the chaos-hit North African nation.
The GNA says it will use the Palermo talks to lobby for security reforms that unify the
army, a constitutionally rooted electoral process, economic reform and an end to
“parallel institutions”.
– ‘A fundamental step’ –
The US, Arab countries and European nations are all sending representatives to the
Tuesday talks, after a dinner set for Monday. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
arrived on Monday evening.
For Rome’s populist government, a top priority is stemming the flow of migrants who
exploit Libya’s security vacuum in their quest to reach European shores, often via
Italy.
“The Palermo conference is a fundamental step in the goal of stabilising Libya and for
the security of the entire Mediterranean,” Conte said last week.
UN envoy Ghassan Salame told the Security Council on Thursday that a national
conference in early 2019 would be organised to provide “a platform” for Libyans to
spell out their vision for the future.
But diplomatic wrangling between Italy and France hangs over this summit.
In September, Italy’s defence minister and parliamentary speaker both partly blamed
France for Libya’s security crisis, which continues to simmer some seven years after
the NATO-backed uprising toppled Kadhafi.
The Italian swipes came as Tripoli was plagued by militia clashes that killed at least
117 people and wounded more than 400 between late August and late September.
Rome and Paris have for months been at loggerheads over Libya’s election timetable.
While France repeatedly endorsed the December date, Italy opposed it.
Italy has not been alone in pushing for elections to be delayed — the December 10
date was also viewed sceptically by Washington and Moscow.
One Italian diplomatic source said that no definitive poll date should be set at the
summit and it is “not sure that there will be a final document” after the talks.
According to diplomats and analysts, Russia, France, Egypt and the UAE support Haftar,
while Turkey and Qatar have thrown their weight behind rivals to the eastern strongman,
especially Islamist groups.
BSS/AFP/AU/07:10 hrs