Libya's rival institutions sign a roadmap for elections within 24 months
Representatives of Libya's rival political camps signed an agreement on Sunday in Tripoli to hold long-delayed national elections within 24 months, after 4+4 talks at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. The text aims to settle disputes over electoral laws and reform the national elections body under a single executive authority. The same day, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani agreed with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to reopen Syria's embassy, closed for 14 years, and to open a consulate in Benghazi.
Geopolitics··Midday
Rival camps sign a 24-month election deal at UNSMIL in Tripoli
Representatives of Libya's rival political camps signed an agreement on Sunday to hold long-delayed national elections within 24 months, settling disputes over electoral laws and reforming the national elections body. The signing took place at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, in Tripoli, after talks in a smaller format known as the 4+4. That format brought together two representatives each from the Government of National Unity, the High Council of State, the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army.[1]
Ellafi sets a single executive; the army wants a one-month follow-up
Walid Ellafi, state minister of political affairs and communications in the Government of National Unity, said legislative and presidential elections should be held within a period not exceeding 24 months under a single executive authority and unified national institutions. Shibani AbuHamoud, head of the army's general command delegation, said the 4+4 would work with UNSMIL to build a follow-up framework within one month of signing. If the House of Representatives and the High Council of State do not approve the deal within a month, the parties say they will seek to adopt it as a constitutional document through broad national mechanisms and win backing at the Security Council.[1]
Syria reopens its Tripoli embassy after 14 years in talks with Dbeibah
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani arrived in Tripoli on Sunday and agreed with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of Libya's Government of National Unity to reopen Syria's embassy, closed for 14 years, and to open a Syrian consulate in Benghazi. The two sides also signed an agreement reactivating the Libyan-Syrian Joint Higher Committee, which coordinates political, economic and social ties at prime-ministerial level. The talks covered security cooperation and counterterrorism, consular services, the status of prisoners, detainees and refugees, and unresolved financial dues between Libyan and Syrian institutions; al-Shaibani also met Libya's oil and gas minister and the country's investment authority. Libya has been split since 2014 between Dbeibah's Tripoli-based government and an eastern administration backed by Khalifa Haftar.[2]
