Factional Risks Hover as Libya's UN Peace Process Advances

FILE: Representatives of Libya’s rival administrations take part in a meeting in Morocco, on October 6. (AFP)
FILE: Representatives of Libya’s rival administrations take part in a meeting in Morocco, on October 6. (AFP)
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Factional Risks Hover as Libya's UN Peace Process Advances

FILE: Representatives of Libya’s rival administrations take part in a meeting in Morocco, on October 6. (AFP)
FILE: Representatives of Libya’s rival administrations take part in a meeting in Morocco, on October 6. (AFP)

Libyans working under a UN peace process on Tuesday agreed a mechanism to choose a new temporary government to oversee the run-up to elections late this year, in the hope that it can avoid being scuppered by factional rivalries.

It follows weeks of negotiation after a political dialogue in Tunis in November among 75 Libyans, selected by the UN Libya mission, charted a roadmap towards elections but failed to agree on how to form an interim government.

Libya has known little peace since Moammar al-Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, in an uprising backed by NATO, and has been split since 2014 between warring factions that have set up rival administrations in the west and east.

The mechanism to choose a transitional government was proposed on Saturday by a smaller committee, drawn from the political dialogue members, that met in Geneva last week. It was voted on by the full body on Monday and Tuesday.

It means the group will soon turn to the nomination and choice of a unified government to prepare for the Dec. 24 presidential and parliamentary elections - a process that is no less fraught with potential for bitter disputes.

Both the main coalitions in western and eastern Libya are honeycombed with rivalries, and any move that cuts out powerful figures could unleash a new bout of the fighting that has already sucked in other powers.

The country is split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), which is backed by Turkey, and the east-based Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar.



Turkish President and Hamas Officials Hold First Meeting Since Gaza Ceasefire

 In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
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Turkish President and Hamas Officials Hold First Meeting Since Gaza Ceasefire

 In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Wednesday with a high-ranking Hamas delegation, marking his first encounter with the group since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Unlike many of its NATO allies, Türkiye does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization and Erdogan has maintained a close relationship with the group, regularly hosting its leaders.

A brief statement from the president’s office said Erdogan met with the delegation, which includes senior leader Mohammed Darwish and other members of the Hamas leadership council, in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The statement did not provide further details but a photograph of the meeting showed that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, were present.