The Muslim Brotherhood in Libya sought on Sunday to exclude Libyan National Army commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar from the international conference in Paris aimed at resolving the North African country’s crisis.
The meeting, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, will include the most prominent Libyan officials to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.
Newly elected head of the High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri said on Saturday that the Paris meeting should only include the political parties that signed the Skheirat agreement in Morocco in 2015.
Mishri is a prominent member of the political wing of the Mudlim Brotherhood. The High Council of State offers recommendations to the parliament as stipulated in the Skheirat deal.
“Haftar was not part of the agreement and he does not recognize it. The dialogue should just be limited to the High Council of State, parliament and National Accord Government, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, he added.
He confirmed that he received an invitation from Macron to attend Tuesday’s conference.
He also informed French authorities that elections would be a success if a referendum over the constitution was held.
Haftar meanwhile chose to ignore Mishri’s statements.
He had held talks with Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern town of Tobruk.
Haftar’s office gave a brief statement after the meeting that did not disclose the issues that the two officials discussed.
This marks the first time in months that the two officials meet amid reports of tensions in their relationship. Saleh was notably absent from the reception dedicated to Haftar upon his return to Libya from a medical stay in Paris back in April.
An informed Libyan official said that a reconciliation was reached between the two figures through efforts sponsored by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
Sunday’s meeting between them was therefore aimed at rearranging their political affairs ahead of their departure to Paris, he explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.
The Paris meeting will be sponsored by the United Nations. It will be attended by Sarraj, Saleh, Haftar and Mishri in order to “open a new period of stability and cooperation which is awaited by the Libyan people," a statement from the French presidency said on Sunday.
An aide to Macron said the Libyan leaders had agreed in principle to a roadmap that would pave the way for parliamentary and presidential elections, if possible before the end of the year, reported Agence France Presse on Sunday.
A draft of the 13-point non-binding political roadmap seen by Reuters includes the call for the immediate unification of the central bank and a commitment to support the creation of a national army. It also agrees to an inclusive political national conference within three months.
The draft threatens international sanctions on those that impede the accord or dispute the outcome of elections.
The conference will be attended by some 19 countries and four international organizations, including countries that have influence on the ground such as Egypt, Italy, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE. UN special envoy to Libya Ghassan Salameh will also attend.
“If everyone agrees then it will be a step forward. The idea is to put pressure on the four participants knowing that if their backers tell them to accept this they won’t have a choice,” said a European diplomat. “That’s partly true, but there is also an inter-Libyan dynamic to take into consideration,” said a European diplomat.
