(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
Early last week, Martin Kobler, the UN’s special envoy to Libya, met with Ali Gotrani, a member of the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Presidential Council (PC).
Speaking to a Libyan channel, Gotrani, who allegedly supports General Khalifa Haftar, said that Kobler proposed that 15 national figures should be selected to nominate a president and two deputies for the PC. The PC is group of nine members currently lead by Prime Minister Fayaz Al-Sarraj.
“He (Kobler) also proposed that we could cancel article 8 of the agreement and give the functions of the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army to the House of Representatives (HoR,” Gotrani said.
The Libyan Political Agreement stipulates that the PC is the political power that is authorized to run the Supreme Command of Libya’s national army, which Haftar and his forces have refused to accept.
“We must return to the fourth draft of the agreement and keep the powers of the Supreme Commander to the HoR, we took promises from Kobler about this issue,” Gotrani explained.
Gotrani claims that the dialogue committee of the Libyan Political Agreement have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya.
Kobler has made many attempts to meet with Haftar, who is backed by the Tobruk-based HoR, however, he has refused to meet with the UN representative.
In the beginning of the year, Kobler made a statement emphasizing that the political agreement, which was signed in Morocco in December 2015, would not be adjusted.
A few month after he made that statement, Kobler reaffirmed his stance by refusing to accept changes to the agreement which were made by Libya’s Grand Mufti at the time, Sadiq Al-Gharyani.
Many have accused Kobler of being inconsistent with his principles. Some say Kobler has double standards and is favouring one of the parties involved in Libya’s political struggle others.
