On Monday morning, the Tunisian capital witnessed the launch of the activities of the Libyan Dialogue Forum, in the presence of the Tunisian President, Qais Saeed, and the Acting United Nations Envoy for Support in Libya, Stephanie Williams.
The same meeting witnessed a speech via video by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, after which the dialogue sessions were launched through the program prepared for this, and published by various media.
Stephanie and Saeed
In her opening speech, “Williams” said, “Today, we are nearing a new Libya after years of crises, wars and suffering, indicating that today’s dialogue was not easy, but rather many obstacles preceded it.”
Tunisian President Qais Saeed affirmed in his speech that he is convinced that the solution to the crisis in Libya is by the will of the Libyans themselves, and that the solution in Libya must be peaceful, stressing that specific procedures and dates to be set to reach a solution in Libya by defining a temporary authority for the next stage, adding that there is no room for dividing Libya.
Guterres
In the same context, Guterres explained, during his speech via video, during the launch of the forum that the future of Libya is in the hands of the participants in today’s dialogue, and that the international community should provide the necessary support for the outcomes of the dialogue, and that all Libyan parties must make concessions, to reach a solution that ends the crisis.
International welcome
The launch of the first session of the forum was accompanied by welcoming and encouraging international statements. Turkish President Rejep Tayyip Erdogan said: He will continue to support the Libyans at all levels, and that his support for Libya prevented the fall of Tripoli and stopped the war, adding that the Turkish intervention in a timely manner contributed to the revival of hopes for a political solution in Libya today.
In the same context, the German ambassador to Libya, Oliver Ovtsha, welcomed the launch of the Dialogue Forum in Tunis, stressing that it is an opportunity for unity and agreement between Libyans without foreign intervention.
Dialogue document
The Tunis Dialogue Forum is entrusted with the formation of a presidential council with a president, two deputies, and a government separate from it. One of its tasks will be to prepare for the elections according to the political program document presented at the Political Dialogue Forum, which was published on many local media outlets where the prime minister chooses his ministers and two deputies from different regions, taking into account Competence, merit and representation, according to political, social and geographical diversity.
First round ends
A member of the Dialogue Committee from Tunis, Mohamed Al-Raeed, told Arraed that the first session ended with the presentation and discussion of the first article of the document, which gathered some simple observations for amendment by the members of the committee, adding that the document is generally good, and needs some observations, indicating that the second round will start where articles 2 and 3 will be presented for discussion, and comments will be made on them by the committee.
Access to elections
In the same context, a special source confirmed to Arraed from the dialogue sessions that the first session ended with the collection of observations of nearly 50 members on confirming the return of the displaced, implementing the transitional justice law, activating the local administration, and dividing Libya into governorates, indicating that the members of the dialogue committee are discussing the second article about the mechanism of access to general elections, to renew political legitimacy, reshape the executive authority, unify state institutions, launch comprehensive reconciliation, and end armed formations.