MB roadmap for a deadlocked road: Al-Wefaq raises white flag under name of initiative

Sarah Rashad

The echoes of the initiative by Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Accord government, still cast a shadow over the Libyan scene. Analyzes differ as to why Al-Siraj is at this time talking about negotiations and sitting at one table, after stressing earlier his rejection of this option.

Roadmap

On Sunday, Al-Serraj said that the initiative would be concerned with agreeing on a road map and establishing a constitutional basis for the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections before the end of 2019.

Al-Siraj has not only made a commitment to appoint a specialized legal committee to draft laws on the benefits to be agreed upon and to form joint United Nations-supervised committees from executive and security institutions in all regions to ensure the necessary resources and for electoral entitlements, including security arrangements needed to make them work.

He pointed to the activation of decentralized administration, optimal use of financial resources, and comprehensive justice for all regions of Libya, while ensuring transparency and good governance.

He also spoke about a supreme body of reconciliation that emanates from the initiative and a mechanism for activating the Transitional Justice Law and amnesty.

Al-Wefaq retreat

He also pledged to increase the efficiency of the government to keep pace with the nature of what he called “the coming national benefits”, which are numbered in the fields of services, economy and security, and complete the review of the revenues and expenses of the Central Bank in Tripoli.

The initiative comes after attempts by UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salama, last Tuesday, through meetings in Tripoli with officials in the government of reconciliation; to revive the peace process.

The initiative coincides with the National Forum, which was scheduled for mid-April with the knowledge of the United Nations, but the battles launched by the Libyan army, caused the postponement indefinitely.

Libyan observers agreed that the initiative reflected a retreat by Al-Seraj from the line of challenge he was in when the fighting began in Tripoli, hinting at the possibility of failure and fear of losing control of Tripoli.

The Libyan researcher, Abdel Basit bin Hamel said, “The initiative refers to a retreat by the government of reconciliation”, stressing to the Reference that taking it into consideration is unthinkable in light of the refusal of the supporters of the Libyan army to negotiate with the militias.

He expected the continuation of the clashes in Tripoli, believing that things are going in favor of the army.

This is confirmed by a member of the House of Representatives Zayed Hedya, saying in a press statement that the armed forces moved to the capital Tripoli in accordance with popular demands and laws to ensure the fight against terrorism.

He stressed the need not to stop fighting with the militias, wondering: “Stop fighting and negotiate with whom? Fighting can not be stopped with terrorist groups allied to criminal groups and leaders on the lists of the international community and within Libya and controlling the state’s capabilities.”

“After the liberation of the capital there will be a comprehensive national reconciliation and there will be a government of national unity that represents all Libyans and serves the people who suffered so much,” Hedya said.