Libyan Talks in Cairo... Way towards Stability

The meetings of the Libyan talks between the members of the Libyan 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) were launched in Cairo, on Wednesday, in order to build on the achievements of the committee since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in Libya in October 2020.

The several-day meetings are being hosted by Egypt and attended by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Secretary-General's Adviser on Libya Stephanie Williams.

Egypt's Hosting of Libyan Talks

Cairo’s hosting of the meetings comes within the framework of the Egyptian vision in support of the intra-Libyan solution away from foreign interference. This confirms Egypt’s openness to all Libyan parties within the framework of the historical relations between the two countries.

Egypt Supports Intra Libyan Consensus

The Libyan talks in Egypt confirms Cairo’s support for the consensus between the Libyans to reach a solution by intra-Libyan consensus.

Egypt supports the activation of all paths of solution in Libya, whether political, military, constitutional, or economic, in addition to supporting the intra-Libyan consensus to reach ways to solve the crisis. The military path represents one of the most prominent paths that represent a locomotive for a political solution in the country.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has urged rival Libyan officials meeting in Cairo to “seize the opportunity of their presence together during this round of Libyan talks to address issues.”

The ministry said it was aware of the sensitivity and difficulty of the issues but affirmed its confidence in the capabilities and commitment of the participants to support the interests of the Libyan people.

Second Round of Talks 

The second round of Libyan talks began on Sunday in the presence of all members of the House of Representatives Committee, the “High Council of State,” and the acting UN envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams amid high hopes that a solution could be reached to end the political crisis.

The talks began with a speech by the host nation in which it expressed its support for the constitutional process on which the Libyans have pinned their hopes. The ministry said that the eyes of 7 million Libyans were on the talks and it hoped “the outcomes of these meetings rise to the ceiling of the aspirations of the Libyans in approving a constitutional framework.”

Efforts Would Put Libya on Path of Stability

It also expressed its confidence that the efforts of the joint committee would put Libya on the path to stability, security and development, stressing that Cairo would continue to sponsor the Libyan constitutional track based on its ties and balanced relations with all parties.

The ministry confirmed that previous meetings, in Cairo in October 2020 and Hurghada in January and February 2021, and the first round of the current talks on April 13-18 had paved the way for the high-level political consultations held over the past two weeks.

It also commended the efforts of Williams, “and the work team of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya in facilitating this meeting, and supporting the task of the meeting with the ideas and tools necessary to complete it to the fullest.”

UN: Libyans More Anxious Than Ever for Stability

Williams said at the opening session: “Time is running out fast and the Libyan people are more anxious than ever for stability.

“As you know, the work of this committee began on April 13 and therefore we will finish its work on May 28, meaning within 45 days.

“In everything I do, my message is … After more than a decade of turmoil, the Libyan people are tired of war and endless competition over the Libyan executive and economic resources, and they want to choose their representatives so that their long-awaited dream of stability and prosperity can come true.”

She continued: “A month has passed since our last meeting, and Libya is still at the same critical juncture, for which there is no solution but to move toward comprehensive, fair, transparent and credible national elections to respect the will of the 2.8 million Libyan citizens who have registered to vote.”

First Round of Libyan Talks

The first round of consultations concluded last month without an agreement. The Supreme State is calling for the formulation of a constitutional rule that leads to elections, while Parliament demands the amendment of “controversial” texts between the two councils in the constitution in accordance with the 12th amendment it issued two months ago, provided that it is put to a referendum as a constitution, on the basis of which parliamentary and presidential elections are held.