Morocco is hosting the talks a few weeks after the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Aguila Salah, visited the country.
Rabat – A dialogue began Sunday in Bouznika, Morocco between delegations from the Libyan High Council of State and the Parliament of Tobruk.
The dialogue aims to maintain the Libyan ceasefire and facilitate negotiations to end the conflict between the warring parties. The Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) agreed to a ceasefire on August 20.
The launch of the talks follows the recent visit to Morocco of the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams.
Williams’ visit was part of the crisis resolution consultations UNSMIL is holding with the rival Libyan parties, as well as with regional and international actors.
Williams met with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on August 27. In a statement, Bourita said the visit was an opportunity for Morocco to reaffirm its support for the UN’s role in Libya. He added that Morocco also plays an important role in supporting UN efforts in Libya, underlining the 2015 Skhirat Agreement.
The Bouznika dialogue also comes a few weeks after the Head of the Libyan High Council of State (HCS), Khalid Al Mishri, and the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Aguila Salah Issa, visited Morocco.
At the request of Morocco’s House of Representatives, the high-level Libyan delegation arrived in Rabat on July 26.
During meetings with Moroccan officials, Al Mishri said the Skhirat Agreement is the only basis to end the crisis in Libya.
Morocco maintains that the Skhirat Agreement, signed in the city of Skhirat near Rabat, is the main reference for any political solution for the Libyan crisis. The text provides an institutional structure to navigate a political transition in Libya.
Morocco’s approach to the Libyan conflict is based on universal aims to maintain Libya’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the cohesion of the Libyan people.
The country believes the solution to the crisis can only come from the Libyan people, and that the crisis must be free of foreign intervention. Morocco argues that foreign involvement will further complicate the already complex situation.
Morocco also maintains that the solution in Libya must be peaceful and political to ensure the legitimacy of its future government.
Morocco’s government has repeatedly stressed that it has no agenda in Libya and only aims to support the resolution of the conflict. By facilitating Libyan dialogue in Bouznika, Morocco has reaffirmed that it plays a key role in helping to resolve the crisis.
