Arab and western officials are putting the finishing touches for the roadmap of a solution for the Libyan crisis, which will be addressed during Sunday’s international conference in Berlin.
The United Nations-sponsored conference will take place with the participation of 14 countries, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Western diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the conference will draft Libya’s political, economic and military future. The gatherers will back the recently declared ceasefire and the political process led by UN special envoy Ghassan Salame. Proposals will include the formation of committees to follow up on the implementation of the conference decisions. Members will include representatives from the countries participating in the Berlin talks.
Participants include Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, representing President Donald Trump, revealed the sources. Representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Italy, the UN chief, European Union and African Union will also attend.
Invitations were also sent to Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and Government of National Accord (GNA) chief Fayez al-Sarraj.
The sources predicted an escalation in fighting in Libya ahead of the conference in order to impose a new status quo on the ground and provide leverage for the negotiators.
Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a draft of the roadmap, which declares support for the UN process in Libya. It calls for the formation of a committee comprised of 14 representatives of parliament, 14 representatives of the state council and 14 from the influential political forces, including figures that are still loyal to former ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi. The committee will be tasked with forming a new government and preparing for general elections.
The roadmap also calls for nominating ten military figures, five by Haftar and five by Sarraj, to tackle the dismantling of militias and uniting the Libyan army.
On the economic level, the roadmap will address how to properly exploit Libya’s natural resources and the role of the central bank. The sources revealed that “incentives” may be offered to Haftar in regards to maintaining the current status quo at oilfields in order to preserve the stability of oil resources.
The roadmap also makes a “vague” call on all parties to commit to the UN arms embargo on Libya. It suggested the formation of committees to monitor the ceasefire and provide humanitarian aid.