By Sami Zaptia.
London, 4 April 2016:
Boycotting Presidential Council (PC) member Omar Aswad has welcomed the recent conciliatory statements by both HoR . . .[restrict]President Ageela Saleh and UNSMIL head Martin Kobler. He called upon HoR members to hold a full transparent meeting to pass the constitutional amendment, and for the PC members to go to Tobruk to have the GNA approved.
In a statement today Aswad said: ‘’I waited long to see a radical and real change in the mechanisms for dealing with the fallout of the Libyan crises with the mentality of a fireman. By that I mean extinguishing the accumulated problems that eat away at the bone and structure of the country. I waited to see a change to an open-minded and sophisticated outlook that deals with reality and resolves it. But mainly away from the halve and quarter solutions’’, he said.
‘’This change was on two fronts: internally, it was represented in the House of Representatives; and externally it was represented in UNSMIL’’.
‘’Internally, the statement of Ageela Saleh in his role as President of the House of Representatives (HoR) was a right step. A plenary meeting (of the HoR) must be held, broadcast live, to enhance its transparency and observed by civil society organizations and interested parties’’.
‘’And on the other hand, the attendance of the full Presidential Council before the HoR and the presentation of the biographies/CVs of the members of the Government of National Accord (GNA) to win confidence and to ensure that the GNA operates away from any pressure or blackmail’’.
‘’On the external front, however, the statement of the UN Mission represented in Mr. Kobler was correct in its location and timing, because the policies of override and jumping over stages will not gain anything. Kobler’s statement was in tune with and agreed with the text of the Libyan Political Agreement that gave the HoR the right to grant confidence to the GNA’’.
‘’I had always hoped that Mr. Kobler, would operate on this basis, and he is a man of law originally, undoubtedly aware of the principle of not interpreting text. Additionally, there is the need to amend the Constitutional Declaration within the text of the LPA prior to any procedure by the HoR’’.
‘’This to take place in the presence of all members of the HoR for this historic meeting. It remains for the PC to understand the importance of and the need to work in a spirit of solidarity, harmony and synergy to serve the unity of the country. As well as the fight against terrorism, addressing the security and economic problems facing Libya, threatening to disintegrate it’’.
‘’I have hope in the ability and will of Libyans to overcome this crisis. May God help all towards good sense’’. [/restrict]
