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Rabat – On the heels of three successful rounds of inter-Libyan dialogue in Morocco, the deputy head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Williams, announced Wednesday that Libya will hold elections in 18 months.
Delegations from the Tripoli-based High Council of State and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives entered into a political dialogue forum in Tunis on Monday.
A total of 75 Libyan representatives are participating in the forum, which aims to resolve the conflict that has beset Libya since the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi regime in 2011.
In addition to the question of elections, Williams said that the delegations have addressed several issues relating to the constitutional process in Libya during the talks in Tunisia’s capital. In particular, they reviewed the powers of the Presidential Council and the Council of Ministers, as well as the details of a national reconciliation process.
The Libyan parties also agreed on a draft roadmap that clarifies the steps necessary to unify Libyan institutions, begin national reconciliation, and facilitate the return of displaced people. The participants in the Tunis forum will be able to express their opinions and comment on the draft roadmap in the ongoing talks.
Williams added that UNSMIL held a meeting on Sunday with various Libyan groups, including civil society actors, to discuss human rights issues. She said these discussions will continue with all components of Libyan civil society in the future.
The Libyan dialogue in Tunis represents a continuation of similar forums in Morocco, Germany, Egypt, and Switzerland.
Morocco, in particular, has earned international recognition for its mediating role in the conflict and for providing a platform for delegations to discuss their challenges without foreign interference.
Libyan delegations representing the High Council of State and the House of Representatives participated in a third round of talks in Bouznika, Morocco, from November 4-5 to prepare for the current forum in Tunisia. Libyan delegations previously engaged in discussions in Bouznika from September 6-10 and October 2-6.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita also personally held separate discussions with the President of the Libyan High Council of State, Khaled Al Mishri, and the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa.
The Moroccan initiative received warm feedback from all participants.
UNSMIL credited the successful resumption of inter-Libyan dialogue to the meetings Morocco hosted in Bouznika, which produced a “global consensus” on the positions of sovereignty in accordance with Article 15 of the Skhirat Agreement.
Morocco brokered the Skhirat Agreement in December 2015, which created a ceasefire and established an interim government.
The country’s approach to the Libya conflict is based on three principles enshrined in the 2015 Skhirat Agreement. These are the absence of foreign interference, a political solution rather than a military one, and a peaceful outcome that ensures Libya’s sovereignty and the fundamental rights of its people.
