Libya Herald reporters.
Tripoli, 16 September 2015:
The Libya Dialogue is due tomorrow to start discussing the leadership of the Government of National . . .[restrict]Accord said UNSMIL chief Bernardino Leon in the Moroccan resort of Skirhat.
Selecting the three key posts of premier and his or her two deputies may be a big ask since only part of the House of Representatives delegation is there. Two members had reportedly returned to Tobruk for consultation given the fundamental changes made since the accord was initialled last month.The four members of the team from the General National Congress were reportedly delayed by problems with the UN aeroplane in Tripoli.
None of this would have been apparent from Leon’s upbeat press conference this evening. He said : “We have spent another day of consultations with the different delegations. The ones that are here, the ones that are not here and after deliberation with all the participants, UNSMIL has considered that the moment has come tomorrow for expediting our talks and proposing that we start the discussion on the candidates for the national unity government”.
Leon said that UNSMIL had received “hundreds, if not thousands” of messages from ordinary Libyans insisting that the formation of the new Government of National Accord should be completed by Eid A-Ahdha, which is 23 September, three days after his latest deadline.
Leon said that he hoped that all parties would be ready to start the discussions tomorrow.
“We have still two, three days ahead of us, and it is important that we use them to make progress in these talks and to try to be ready as we have reiterated by the 20th of September”.
Leon majored on the fact that today was the anniversary of the murder by the Italians of Omar Mukhtar in 1931.
“He has been a reference for all the Libyans ” said Leon, “many of the brigades during the revolution were called Omar Al-Mukhtar, to pay tribute to his legacy – and maybe today is a day to remember his legacy and to remind the Libyans that it is important not to miss this opportunity”. [/restrict]
