By Libya Herald staff.
Tunis, 9 July 2015:
All the delegates to the UN-brokered Libya Dialogue, other than those from the General National . . .[restrict]Congress, are now reported back in Skhirat in Morocco to reconvene talks on the latest Draft.
However, delegates and foreign ambassadors taking part have dismissed speculation that it would be initialled this evening or tomorrow. The present focus was on whether the GNC team would turn up, the Libya Herald has been told. But if they did not turn up within three days, said an ambassador, the others would almost certainly initial it.
One of the independent delegates also confirmed the three-day delay.
The GNC group quit the talks on 28 June a few hours after it had been handed the latest draft. It did not return to Skhirat as planned the following Thursday when all the other delegates announced they approved the Draft and would sign it, with or without the Tripoli team. This week, the GNC decided that the delegates would not go back to Skhirat unless UN Special Envoy Bernardino Leon agreed to accept that its amendments to the latest draft be discussed.
“The belief among the delegates here is that the GNC team accepts the Draft and would like to initial it,” the ambassador said. “But they are afraid.” He also spoke of concerns in Skhirat that the they might be physically prevented from flying out of Mitiga. But for the moment, he said, the others “want to give them time to come”.
The prospects are not encouraging. Leon is said to want the Draft initialled by Sunday. The GNC is not due to meet again on the issue until then at the earliest, but more likely on Monday.
If and when it is initialled, there would then be negotiations on the names of the Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers for inclusion in the annexes to the Draft. They would then nominate names of government ministers, also to be included in the annexes. This would then be passed to the House of Representatives to endorse.
The process does not, however, require the Draft to be endorsed by the GNC. Nor does it require that all the delegates sign the Draft, which would happen after the Government of National Accord is chosen.
Once such a government is approved by the HoR, the international community will then be able to provide Libya with arms and support to fight IS and other terrorists in the country – which for many foreign government is now the priority. [/restrict]
