The consultative meeting of Libya’s House of Representatives, known as the Tobruk Parliament, has led the legislative body to overcome its internal disagreements. The meeting took place in Tangier, northern Morocco, from November 23-28.
During the session’s closing ceremony, members of the Libyan House of Representatives made seven pledges that seek to bring the war-torn country closer to overcoming its political crisis.
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The deputies first agreed that the House of Representatives should be located in Benghazi, Libya’s second-most populous city. The legislative institution has been headquartered in Tobruk, northeastern Libya, since 2014.
The members of parliament pledged to hold a “reconciliation session” in Ghadames, near the meeting point of Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria, “as soon as” they go back to their country to “end the division within the House of Representatives and allow it to perform its duties to the fullest.”
Second, the Libyan officials promised to work towards ending the state of division and conflict in all Libyan institutions in order to maintain their country’s unity and sovereignty.
The third commitment from the Libyan House of Representatives is its readiness to fully and positively engage in the inter-Libyan dialogue with the Tripoli-based High Council of State to overcome the political deadlock.
Fourth, the legislative body pledged to participate in the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections set to end the transition period as soon as possible. The election is expected to take place in less than one year, counting from the upcoming Ghadames meeting.
The House of Representatives’ fifth engagement is to respect the constitutional announcement and the legitimacy of the legislative bodies it creates.
Sixth, the deputies condemned hate speech, which they said only seeks to worsen the Libyan political crisis. They urged the media to promote “a speech of forgiveness and reconciliation.”
Finally, the members of parliament promised to work towards a safe return of citizens and migrants who fled Libya due to the political crisis and the civil war.
Read also: Libyan Deputies: Morocco Major Contributor to Stability in Arab World
This week’s consultative meeting has pushed Libyans closer towards solving their political crisis, proving Morocco’s important role as a facilitator.
Morocco was one of the first countries that facilitated negotiations between the rival Libyan parties. In 2015, a meeting near Rabat led to the Skhirat Agreement, which now constitutes an internationally-recognized framework for overcoming the political crisis in Libya.
More recently, Morocco hosted three sessions of the Inter-Libyan Dialogue in Bouznika, near Rabat, from September to November. The meetings brought together delegations from Libya’s rival parliaments and led to “important understandings,” notably agreements on the criteria and mechanisms for appointments to sovereign leadership positions.
During the closing ceremony of the consultative meeting in Tangier, the deputies of the Libyan House of Representatives expressed their gratitude towards Morocco.
“The members of the House of Representatives express their utmost thanks, appreciation, and gratitude, to the Kingdom of Morocco, its king, its parliament, its government, and its people, for their warm welcome and hospitality,” said the legislative body’s spokesperson, Mossaab al-Abid, in the closing speech.
