Russia has taken an additional step that clarifies its position on the dialogue in Libya and the means to reach a final settlement to the country’s conflict.
After previous signals that it clearly had reservations on the dialogue and the way participants were selected, its deputy foreign minister announced on Monday that it does not believe that the main goal is limited to organizing elections at the end of the year.
Sergey Vershinin stressed the need for allowing the participation of all Libyan parties in the process, including supporters of late ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi.
Their participation will lay the foundation for reaching a comprehensive reconciliation in the country, he explained in remarks to Rossiya Segodnya.
The Libyans themselves have the main responsibility of taking important decisions and the responsibility to implement them, he added.
In turn, these decisions should be part of national dialogue, which should include all political powers, including Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and Gaddafi supporters, he stated.
“We believe that elections should not be the sole goal of the dialogue, but they should be part of reforms, which Libya badly needs. These reforms will achieve the ultimate goal of real national reconciliation, national unity and establishment of effective government institutions,” Vershinin added.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had held talks with his counterpart in the Government of National Accord (GNA) Mohamed Siala on the developments in Libya and the political settlement.
Moscow had previously expressed reservations over the mechanism that selected participants in the Libyan dialogue.
A Russian diplomatic source had told Asharq Al-Awsat that the method showed that some figures and forces were keen on achieving political gains instead of seeking effective dialogue that can lead to a final settlement.
Previous reports had revealed that Moscow was in contact with Gaddafi supporters, claims it has denied.
