By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 25 January 2015:
Libyan foreign minister Mohamed Al-Dairi has taken part in two meetings in the Gulf in . . .[restrict]the past two days – first the Ministerial Meeting of the India-Arab League Cooperation Forum which took place in Bahrain yesterday and then today’s meeting of the Arab League’s ministerial council, attended by all Arab foreign ministers.
It met in Abu Dhabi.
At the former, the first official Indian-pan Arab gathering at foreign ministerial level and which focused on technological, agricultural and scientific cooperation with India, Dairi welcomed such collaboration but also stressed the importance of supporting Libya and equipping it in the war against terrorism.
In Abu Dhabi, the discussions were on ways to strengthen joint Arab action, again in particular against terrorism and, according to the UAE’s news agency WAM, “foreign intervention in their internal affairs”. This is widely seen as a reference to Iran.
With the Thinni administration still generally recognised world-wide as Libya’s sole legitimate government until the new government of national unity under prime minister-designate Faiez Serraj is voted in by the House of Representatives, Dairi is accepted internationally as the country’s foreign minister. He was invited to the Abu Dhabi meeting by UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed.
However, his presence at this week’s African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is reported to be causing a quandary there, according to officials linked to the Libyan Presidency Council
Dairi has been invited to the pre-summit meeting of the AU’s Executive Council, made up of the continent’s 54 foreign ministers or ministers dealing with African affairs. It will meet on 27-28 January. But it is also reported that the invitation for the heads of state meeting, which takes place on 30-31 January, has gone to prime minister-designate Faiez Serraj as head of the equally internationally-recognised Presidency Council.
The AU formally recognised the Council’s role at the Rome Summit on Libya last month.
Normally foreign ministers stay on for AU summit, helping plan it and briefing their heads of state during the event. Except that Dairi is not Serraj’s foreign minister. The man chosen to deal with African affairs is Naser Salem Emhemed. However, the proposed government of which he is a part was today rejected by the House of Representatives. Barring a miracle, there will be no new Libyan government by the time the summit takes place.
Given the complications, it remains to be seen if either Dairi or Serraj turn up in Addis. Dairi already missed the two-day AU ministerial brainstorming session, formally known as a “retreat” that ended today while Serraj will have enough on his plate trying to pull together a government that is acceptable to the HoR.
However, as one of Africa’s main crisis points, the AU will want to hear about Libya directly from those concerned. [/restrict]
