By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 3 December 2016:
US Secrertary of State John Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni have confirmed that efforts to resolve the Libya crisis are now focussed on the role of a number of regional governments that have influence on the two main sides to the divide: Egypt, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“We are very hopeful that in the days ahead as we work together with our friends, the Emiratis, and with the Egyptians and with the Qataris and with the Saudis and with others that we will be able to succeed in resolving the differences between the GNA and those in Tobruk who continue to resist moving forward, and [with] General Haftar,” said Kerry yesterday. He was speaking at a press conference in Rome with Gentiloni. The two had talks on the sidelines of the Mediterranean Dialogues conference on problems in the region.
They also met with Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to discuss both Libya and Syria.
Kerry stressed what he called “quiet diplomacy” as a possible way forward.
“We’re going to continue to work very, very closely together in the days ahead to see if we can’t quietly, through quiet diplomacy, not necessarily big ministerial meetings, but quietly move the process forward.”
As well as the talks with the Qatari foreign minister, the US Secretary of State said that he had also recently had an “in-depth” conversation on Libya with the UAE’s foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed and the Deputy Supreme Commander of its armed forces, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. There had also been “long conversations” with the Egyptians and the Saudis.
Expressing hope that a way to move forward could be found, he said that the interests of the Libyan people had to be the top priority. They were being held hostage “by individual ambitions and resistance to the unity of the country” and prevented from rebuilding the country and their own lives. The conflict served only to empower extremists, he added.
