The Geneva talks brokered by the UN between Ageela Saleh, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Khaled Mishri, head of the High State Council have ended in failure today, the UN reports.
The two were expected to agree on a constitutional basis to hold elections in the very near future to get Libya out of its political crisis.
In her closing statement on the Geneva talks, Special Advisor to the Secretary General, Stephanie Williams reported:
‘‘Under the auspices of the United Nations, the presidents of the House of Representatives and High Council of State met in Geneva on 28-29 June 2022. They reviewed the outstanding provisions of the 2017 Libyan Draft Constitution, taking into account the agreement reached during the Cairo talks earlier this month.
The two chambers reached unprecedented consensus on a number of long-standing issues, including: the designation of the headquarters and distribution of seats for the two chambers of the legislative authority; division of responsibilities among the president, prime minister, cabinet and local government; the specific form of decentralisation, including the delineation of the number of governorates and their powers; a revenue allocation mechanism for the different levels of government; and increased representation for cultural components.
Despite the progress in this week’s negotiations between the heads of the respective chambers, disagreement persists on the eligibility requirements for the candidates in the first presidential elections.
While the progress secured during three rounds of consultations in Cairo and this round in Geneva is significant, it remains insufficient as a basis to move forward towards comprehensive national elections, which is a genuine desire of the Libyan people.
I urge the two chambers to overcome the pending disagreement as soon as possible. I also continue to urge all actors and parties in Libya against taking any precipitous action and emphasize that calm and stability must be maintained.
The United Nations’ good offices will remain available to provide all support necessary to reach a sound agreement that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people and brings an end to the country’s long period of transition.
In my continuing capacity as the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Libya, I will now compose a full report on the proceedings and present my recommendations on alternative ways forward to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.’’
HoR Speaker Saleh and HSC head Mishri finally meet (libyaherald.com)
