Rabat – The Libyan dialogue taking place in Bouznika, Morocco, has resulted in “important understandings” between the Libyan High Council of State and the Parliament of Tobruk.
The understandings have made the Libyan delegations hopeful for a resolution to the crisis and an end to the rival parliaments’ internal dispute.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the two Libyan delegations said their talks in Morocco “achieved important understandings that include setting clear rules aimed at eliminating corruption, reducing the waste of public money, and ending the state of institutional division.”
Speaking on behalf of the two delegations, Mohamed Khalifa Najm, one of the Libyan officials, said the Libyan dialogue in Bouznika is proceeding “positively and constructively.”
The spokesperson assured that both parties hope to achieve good and tangible results to put an end to the Libyan crisis.
Today’s statement is the first update the Libyan delegations have shared since they began the dialogue in Morocco on Sunday, September 6.
While the negotiations were initially scheduled to conclude on September 7, the parties decided to extend them for a third day.
A local news report citing diplomatic sources said the talks will continue for a fourth day as well. Tomorrow’s talks will aim to find compromises regarding some points of disagreement between the Libyan High Council of State and the Parliament of Tobruk, most notably the appointments to senior official positions.
The ongoing talks have received support from several international bodies, including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Arab League, and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States.
The organizations also thanked Morocco for the initiative to bring together the two parties of the Libyan conflict.
Morocco’s position
The ongoing dialogue in Bouznika affirms Morocco’s position on the Libyan crisis. Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita reiterated this position during the opening speech of the talks on Sunday.
Morocco’s stance includes three main points. First, Morocco believes the solution to the Libyan crisis must come from Libyans themselves through negotiation, away from any foreign intervention.
The second point is that the solution must be peaceful rather than military.
Third, Morocco believes the solution to the Libyan crisis must be primarily political to ensure the legitimacy of any government that would come after elections.
If the Bouznika dialogue results in a formal agreement between the Libyan delegations, the deal would be the second of its kind signed in Morocco, after the Skhirat Agreement in 2015.
The first agreement remains, to date, the only internationally-recognized framework for solving the Libyan crisis. It helped create an interim Libyan government and established a ceasefire between warring parties.
Any new agreement between the Libyan parties would have to build on the Skhirat Agreement and update it according to the recent developments in Libya.
