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By Saber Ayyub.
Tripoli, 18 April 2016:
The House of Representatives (HoR) was today again prevented from meeting to vote on the Government . . .[restrict]of National Accord. However, a committee has been formed of six supporters of the GNA and six opponents (6+6 Committee) to try and reach a compromise in time for a fresh session to be held tomorrow, Tuesday.
Meanwhile, UN Special Envoy Martin Kobler met the HoR’s president, Ageela Saleh in Tobruk for talks also on the HoR vote.
According to HoR member and former deputy prime minister Mustafa Abushagur, opponents of the GNA prevented members from attending the session. There had been “more than 150”, he said on his Facebook page. Of these, it is reported, 105 were in favour of approving the GNA.
Abushagur added that the session had also been prevented by the absence of the president, Ageela Saleh.
Saleh had been involved in talks with Kobler, away from the HoR’s usual meeting place. The latter, who had flown into Tobruk to add to the pressure on the HoR to back the GNA, later tweeted as he flew out the town that he had urged Saleh to do his utmost to bring about an HoR vote on the issue.
During his visit to Tobruk, Kobler also met a group of local academics.
Despite Saleh’s absence, both the first and second HoR deputies, Emhemed Shouaib and Ahmaid Huma, were present and had been deputised to stand in for him. However, according to numerous reports, today’s session was in reality sabotaged by a small group of HoR members opposed to the GNA who physically prevented the session from happening. These were said to be led by Benghazi member Isa Al-Araibi and Talal Al-Maihub (Guba) who with supporters prevented other members from registering for the session and entering the hall.
“We were prevented from registering our names in the attendance book by some colleagues, in particular Isa Al-Araibi and Jalal Kwafi who exercised all means to prevent the session from being held,” another HoR member told the Libya Herald. “We’ve now reached now 105 members who would vote in favor of approving the government,” he added.
In a bid to calm tempers, it was then agreed to form the ”6+6 Committee” comprising six of supporters and six opponents to try to find a compromise so that there a more harmonious meeting of the HoR tomorrow, Tuesday.
These were named as: Abdulmutaleb Thabit (Baida), Salah Fhaima (Sidra), Ziyad Daghim (Benghazi), Ibtisam Rabai (Aziziya), Abdussalam Nassiya (Zintan) and Khalifa Al-Dagari (Qasr Libya) for the opponents and, for the supporters, Deputy HoR president Ahmaid Huma (Timsa), Mohamed Adam Lenu (Murzuk), Fathi Algabasi (Awjila) and three others who at the time were still to be selected.
In an identical move last February when the HoR had been convened to vote on the GNA and a large majority of members who turned up were said to support it, a small group of opponents used force to prevent the session from taking place. [/restrict]
