By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 06 November 2015:
Eighty seven members of the House of Representatives have put their name to a document accepting . . .[restrict]Bernardino Leon’s Libyan Political Agreement, subject to two main amendments.
However, the HoR leadership led by Ageela Salah Gwaider are refusing to allow the House to vote on the document.
The document was put forward by the Fezzan members of the HoR representing the south of Libya and is dated 4 November.
A copy of the original document received by Libya Herald from a prominent HoR member has 87 signatures and it excludes the possible addition of the four members of the dialogue team which are believed to be in favour of the agreement. This would take the total number of signatures to 91 members.
Libya Herald was informed that there has been a concerted effort by the majority of HoR members to put the Leon political agreement to a vote for the best part of the last week.
However, it is reported that a minority group of hardliners led by Aghila Salah are unhappy with the agreement even when the suggested amendments are added.
Moreover, sources report that other HoR members are also ready to sign but are being pressurized not to. It is also reported that these members would actually vote for the agreement when it is put to the House for a vote.
The first amendment requested by the 87 signatories calls for the addition of two deputy prime ministers, one for the east and one for the southern region.
The second amendment requests that the mechanism for choosing the top political, military, civil and security positions by the council of ministers on the basis of a unanimous vote.
The signatories also objected to appendix number 8 and that the above objections are to be resolved prior to approval of the forthcoming GNA.
The refusal by the HoR leader Ageela Salah to allow the document to be put to the vote is further evidence of the deep split within the HoR over the Leon-brokered agreement.
It seems to confirm the view that a minority of hardliners, which the international community likes to refer to as ”spoilers”, maybe holding back the whole Libyan political process.
The international community have warned on a number of occasions of the possibility of implementing some form of measures or sanctions against ”spoilers” on both sides. However, to date no action has been taken.
The implied acceptance by the majority of HoR members of Leon’s brokered agreement comes just as Leon is to be replaced in his post by the German diplomat Martin Kobler in ”the next few days”. [/restrict]
