Summary: The US president's adviser on Africa and the Middle East, Mosaad Boulos, is intensifying his efforts to bring eastern and western Libya closer together in an attempt to reconcile powerful men.
The US president's adviser on Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos, is intensifying his efforts to bring eastern and western Libya closer together, ruled by parallel authorities, in an attempt to settle between influential men, at the expense of an electoral process that Libyans are eagerly waiting for, according to analysts.
Libya has been divided and chaotic since 2011, when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in a NATO-backed popular uprising and then killed.
A year ago, Paul began a series of meetings with Libyan political, military and economic leaders, both in Libya and abroad.
Last week, he met with the prime minister of the internationally recognized government, Abdelhamid al-Dabaiba, in Tripoli, and the commander of Libyan forces in the east, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, in Benghazi, where a parallel government backed by Haftar exists.
Paul recently stated that the goal of the plan is "to end the division," and while remaining silent about the details, he declares his desire to facilitate "communication between the two sides," stressing that the plan is "Libyan – Libyan."
The proposed plan stipulates that Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba retains his position (unit)
According to a scenario circulating in the media and diplomatic circles, the plan stipulates that Prime Minister Dabaiba retains his position, while Field Marshal Haftar's son, Saddam Haftar, assumes the presidency of the Presidential Council. Paul declined to comment on these reports, noting that “these details belong to the Libyans themselves.” He also did not respond to Agence France-Presse inquiries on the subject.
The proposed scenario is that Saddam Haftar will assume the presidency of the Presidential Council instead of Muhammad al-Manfi (AFP)
The House of Representatives,the High State Council andthe Presidential Council refused to set a date for parliamentary and presidential elections by February 17 (Electoral Commission)
Paul asserts that his initiative is “fully complementary” to the UN's efforts. But analysts and observers question whether reaching a settlement between the dominant figures in the political scene will lead to the “postponement of the elections”, which the United Nations called again, after the failure to hold them at the end of 2021 for political and security reasons.
Paul reiterates that the goal of the initiative is “a short solution that does not exceed two to three years” as a transitional phase, with the aim of “ending the political division” and“unifying the institutions” in Libya.
Neither the authorities in western Libya, nor the UN mission, which has organized an intensive dialogue between East and West for months, have responded to AFP's contacts to comment on Paul's initiative.
Original source: aawsat.com
