New Libyan Authorities Meet to Discuss Govt Formation

The Arab League secretary-general receives GNA FM Mohamed Siala in Cairo on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Arab League secretary-general receives GNA FM Mohamed Siala in Cairo on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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New Libyan Authorities Meet to Discuss Govt Formation

The Arab League secretary-general receives GNA FM Mohamed Siala in Cairo on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Arab League secretary-general receives GNA FM Mohamed Siala in Cairo on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The new “troika” of the executive authority in Libya held its first virtual meeting on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a new government.

Head of the new Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi chaired the meeting that was attended by his two deputies, Abdullah al-Lafi and Moussa al-Koni, and Prime Minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

They discussed efforts to form a new government within the set deadline, ahead of presenting its ministerial agenda and submitting the lineup to a vote at parliament. They stressed the need to expand consultations to include members of the parliament and national dialogue forum.

Meanwhile, the Libyan constitutional committee resumed its talks at Egypt’s Hurghada resort town. Delegations from the parliament and High Council of State are taking part in the three-day UN-sponsored talks. Head of the High National Elections Commission Emad al-Sayeh is also taking part.

Discussions are focused on how to hold a constitutional referendum.

Head of the Egyptian committee concerned with the Libyan file stressed during the meeting the importance of investing in the positive conditions Libya is currently experiencing after the formation of the interim government.

New UN envoy to Libya and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Jan Kubis underscored the importance of the Hurghada meeting, expressing his gratitude to the Egyptian government for supporting political solutions and hosting the constitutional talks.

Kubis officially assumed his post on Monday, taking over from Stephanie Williams.

International reactions continued to pour in over the formation of the interim government, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov contacting Menfi and Dbeibeh to voice Moscow’s readiness to work with the new authorities to overcome the crisis.

Meanwhile, the UNSMIL announced Monday that Libyan parties have agreed on a new unified state budget. “The parties agreed to a two-month budget rather than a full year to allow for the newly formed unified executive to decide on the full budget for 2021,” it said in a statement.

This is the first time since 2014, Libya has one unified national budget, it noted, hoping that “with a newly unified executive recommitted to working for the country’s national interests and restoring its sovereignty, Libya would be able to move closer to an equitable management of its oil resources for the benefit of all Libyan people.”

Separately, the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, continued to warn of Turkey’s threat to the ceasefire in Libya.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said Turkey’s continued military presence undermines the recent political agreements in Libya and defies international calls for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.

He said the military has detected intense Turkish flights over Misrata city and the capital Tripoli, accusing Ankara of seeking to establish “political bases” in the country to “legalize its military presence.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Tuesday, however, that his country will consider pulling out its forces if other foreign forces withdrew first.

Back in Egypt, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit received Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala for talks on the latest developments in Libya.



Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh has stressed the need for all Libyans to actively participate in the political process and play a role in shaping Libya’s future.

Tetteh’s comments came shortly before her briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the North African country.

On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative and her Deputy for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury, briefed a delegation of 28 representatives of civil society organizations from the southern region, including mayors and municipality members, on the outcomes of the Advisory Committee and the country-wide consultations led by the UN mission regarding the political process, as well as the recent meeting of the International Follow-up Committee in Berlin.

The participants told Tetteh that the ongoing institutional divisions between the east and west are negatively impacting the south.

They expressed a strong desire to see national elections through which all Libyans can choose their leaders and establish unified national institutions.

The southern delegation stressed the importance of ensuring that all cultural components have the opportunity to participate equally as citizens in the governance of the country.

Tetteh then held a meeting with the mayors of Misrata, Tarhouna, Khoms, Zliten, and Qasr al-Akhyar to discuss the options put forward by the Advisory Committee, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by municipalities across Libya.

UNSMIL stated the mayors conveyed their support for the work of the Advisory Committee and submitted a petition to Tetteh expressing their support for inclusive dialogue involving elected municipal councils and an end to the protracted transitional phases in Libya.

The mayors also stressed the need for effective administrative decentralization, and the allocation of resources to the municipalities to support adequate service delivery, and noted that the municipalities were currently underfunded.

They also voiced concerns over irresponsible public spending, which they warned poses a threat to the Libyan state, and called for the adoption of clear criteria for allocations of development funds.

They noted the importance of strengthening decentralization as a means to provide critical support for the Libyan people.

In a related development, the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, met Monday in Tripoli with British Ambassador to Libya Martin Longden to discuss ways the UK can support Libya’s electoral process.

Longden reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to providing technical and advisory support to the HNEC, aimed at strengthening its readiness and ensuring elections are held with integrity and transparency.

Meanwhile, Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah chaired an expanded meeting on Monday to follow up on the latest developments in the implementation of the “Emmar Tripoli” (Tripoli Re/Development) program, launched by the his government, with the aim of improving infrastructure and enhancing the aesthetic and urban character of the capital.

During the meeting, Dbeibah stressed the need to overcome obstacles and accelerate the pace of work according to the approved timetables, stressing the importance of daily field follow-up to achieve the set goals.