French President Emmanuel Macron is on Friday hosting leaders and diplomats in Paris for an international conference aimed at ensuring Libya maintains its plan to hold elections in December.
Key players include US Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to France aimed at improving relations, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, one of Paris’s closest allies in the Middle East.
“The elections are within grasp. There is a strong momentum in Libya for them to go ahead. The stability of the country is at stake,” said a French presidential official, who asked not to be identified.
Libya’s presidential and legislative elections are at the heart of a UN plan to help restore stability in the North African country, which has been mired by civil war since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 uprising.
Since then, rival factions and Islamist groups as well as regional powers have been attempting to take control, dividing the country in two.
Push for simultaneous elections
On Monday, Libya opened registration for election candidates, with speculation mounting over possible presidential bids by eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar and Kadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam, both deeply divisive figures.
The scheduling however remains unclear – presidential and parliamentary elections were both slated for 24 December.
In early October, parliament pushed back the legislative elections until January, though world powers and the UN want them held simultaneously.
There are also fears over whether the various factions will recognise the results of the polls, which could mark a turning point for a country that has become a major departure point for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean for Europe.
Almost 30 countries and organisations will be in Paris, including Libya’s neighbours, and countries that have been split over the conflict.
Elysee officials insist the conference is an international effort, co-presided by France, Germany, Italy, the United Nations and Libya itself, which hosted its own summit in Tripoli three weeks ago.
In Paris, Libya will be represented by Mohamed al-Menfi, the head of the transitional presidential council that carries out head-of-state functions ahead of the elections, as well as Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah.
Mercenaries
Among the topics to be addressed is the presence of 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries, seen as one of the biggest obstacles to peace.
Macron said he wants the conference to endorse a plan for the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.
On Thursday, representatives of Haftar’s forces said in a statement that a “first group of 300 mercenaries and foreign fighters” are to be repatriated shortly.
Russia, who has been accused of sending mercenaries with the Wagner company will send Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the meeting in Paris.
Libya conference: Russia, Turkey to start removing their foreign mercenaries
Turkey is only sending its deputy foreign minister, Sedat Onal.
One prominent absentee is Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was invited by Paris but is staying away after taking umbrage at comments by Macron criticising his country’s “political-military system”.
The dispute prompted a rare expression of contrition from the Elysée, which said it “regretted” the misunderstandings caused by the remarks.
Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra welcomed the response as “respectful” and confirmed that Algerian officials would attend the conference although not Tebboune himself.
International diplomacy
Heading in to an election year, President Macron is keen to power through on the Libya question, and demonstrate France’s willingness to lead as it prepares to take over the EU rotating presidency in January.
Back in May 2018, a year into his term in office, Macron convened the key Libyan leaders for a conference in Paris where they agreed to hold elections that year.
Since then, France has faced accusations that it favoured the secular Moscow-educated Haftar in the conflict against the UN-backed government in Tripoli.
Despite French weapons being found on a base used by pro-Haftar forces in 2019, Paris has rejected the claims.
(with AFP)