Libya’s Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) has called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya not to put the constitutional draft up for discussion in Geneva dialogue meetings or elsewhere.
In a letter to the head of UNSMIL, Ghassan Salame, and his political deputy Stephanie Williams on Tuesday, 30 members of the 60-member body said the constitutional track is a mix of the foundational committee elected by Libyans and the constitutional referendum.
They added that neither UNSMIL nor any other current political bodies have the right to approve or reject the constitution as the Libyan people are the ones to decide in the referendum.
“UNSMIL can't take the democratic choice off the hands of Libyans and help execute agendas of powerful personalities that have money, arms and foreign support,” the letter read.
The members called on the UN mission not to give its opinion about the Libyan constitution as it is for Libyans to do so, urging national and international parties to respect the draft constitution issued by the CDA and to vow to carry out a referendum so people can have their say.
After the Berlin conference on January 19, Salame said the Geneva-based political dialogue for Libyan parties will include all issues, including the fate of the constitutional draft.
CDA member Albadri Al-Sharif, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, said: “Our message to UNSMIL stresses that the constitution is a Libyan matter, and that it has no right to decide anything on behalf of the Libyans.”
He noted that the letter was a warning to the mission that interference in constitutional drafting is considered a dangerous precedent.
This comes amid UNSMIL’s constant emphasis on supporting democracy, constitutional work, and not interfering with Libyan decision-making.
