Regional consultations in Algiers to foster all-inclusive dialogue to settle Libya’s crisis

The broad-based consultations held in Algiers on Libya’s crisis on the sidelines of the 17th Ministerial Conference of Non-Aligned Movement are a “strong political message” for all Libyan parties at issue to work for national reconciliation, said Thursday in Algiers Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz.

These consultations, which brought together Libya’s neighbouring countries, the Arab League and the African Union, are a “strong political message,” which highlights the need to “establish contacts with the political elites in Libya at all levels including the Government, the National General Congress (Assembly) or with civil society organizations to encourage the launch of a genuine national dialogue in order to foster national reconciliation,” said Mohamed Abdelaziz.

He also called on the representatives of the Arab League and the African Union in conjunction with Libya to “coordinate efforts in order to develop mechanisms likely to revive recommendations and ensure the support promised by the neighbouring countries for crisis resolution.”

In this regard, the Libyan Foreign minister underlined “Algeria’s key role” in the ongoing efforts to settle Libya’s crisis saying “I have no doubt that Algeria will play an essential role in the current consultations to find adequate solutions to the crisis now besetting Libya.”

During their meeting on 27 and 28 May in Algiers, the Foreign ministers of the neighbouring countries of Libya reiterated their countries’ support for all Libyan initiatives aiming at establishing a national dialogue and transitional justice.

They also stressed the need to pool efforts to help Libya within the framework of a joint mechanism of the neighbouring countries in coordination with Arab League’s Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi and African Union Commission’s Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

They insisted on the need to map out a joint approach and a roadmap, taking into consideration the will of Libyans and their priorities, and which will be submitted to the neighbouring countries for adoption.

As recommended by the Algiers summit, Egypt and Algeria scheduled a subsequent meeting of the foreign ministers of countries neighbouring Libya, aiming to discuss issues related to the disquieting unrest now gripping the country, according to the same source. 

On the meeting’s agenda were the implications of Libya’s damaging unrest on its neighbours, the means to protect their borders from any terrorist infiltrations, as well as ways to tackle the ongoing political turbulence in the North African country.

Egyptian officials say Libyan militiamen have helped militant insurgents at home and raised concerns of arms trafficking from Libya through, and into, Algeria and Egypt.

In Libya itself, three years after the popular uprising that ousted the regime of former strongman Muammar Gaddafi after more than 40 years in power, the security situation remains highly volatile with unpredictable repercussions.

In recent developments, hundreds of demonstrators reportedly rallied to support renegade ex-general Khalifa Haftar, who has vowed to crush the Islamist fighters present  in the North African country while calling for the formation of an emergency cabinet and for legislative elections in Libya.