Over two days, Palermo hosted an international conference aimed at helping restore peace in Libya, inviting Libyan political groups and regional powers to reach a common work plan.
The Palermo conference underscored that achieving such progress would require sustained attention to the economic and security aspects of the conflict. It called on the Libyan government in Tripoli to accelerate the implementation of comprehensive monetary and subsidy reforms, which Libya urgently needs to stabilize its economy.
Equally critical is promoting greater transparency of Libya’s economic institutions, including the Central Bank of Libya. These reforms will support a much-needed conversation among Libyans about enhancing fiscal transparency and promoting a more equitable distribution of the country’s oil resources. The U.S. expressed its support to the economic reforms in close coordination with the U.N. Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
Final Statement
The Libyan parties participating in the Nov. 12-13 Palermo conference issued a final statement. It urged all sides in Libya to respect the eligibility of elections and counter those who try to block the poll, announcing full support to Libyan legitimate institutions to assume their responsibilities for the holding fair elections.
The conference emphasized the need to adopt a constitution that affirms Libyan sovereignty, supports the dialogue to build a united military and security institutions. The participating parties agreed that the Skhirat agreement is the only way to reach a political solution in Libya. They also voiced their support to the U.N. plan and the efforts of its envoy Ghassan Salame in Libya.
United States vows support
The U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert issued a statement on Tuesday.
“The United States welcomes the conclusions announced by the Government of Italy following the November 12-13 conference on Libya in Palermo, which brought Libyan and international leaders together to advance our shared goal of helping Libya’s institutions break their political deadlock and ensure a secure and prosperous future for all Libyans,” the statement read.
“We strongly support UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Ghassan Salame and the recalibrated U.N. Action Plan he presented to the Security Council on November 8, which calls for a Libyan-led National Conference to be held in the first weeks of 2019 and the subsequent electoral process to begin in the spring of 2019. We urge all Libyans to work constructively with SRSG Salame toward the goals of an inclusive constitutional process and credible, peaceful, and well-prepared elections. The United States is committed to ensuring that all those who undermine Libya’s peace, security, and stability will be held accountable,” Nauert concluded.
Diplomatic Representation
The Italian international conference for Libya started with two meetings for the UNSMIL and Libyan parties discussing economic and security reforms.
It included a number of ministerial delegations from Russia, France, the U.Ss, and Germany.
Libyan stakeholders all registered their presence with delegations sent by the Presidency Council, High Council of State, and House of Representatives. The commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar, arrived late on Monday to the conference and met with Italy’s PM Giuseppe Conte.
The main photo of the conference was of Conte holding a handshake between head of the Presidency Council Faiez Sarraj and Haftar.
On the Arab level, the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents arrived to the conference, in addition to delegations from Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, and Sudan. Neighboring countries Niger and Chad also sent delegations to the conference.
Chief of EU Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini headed the EU delegation at the conference.
Prior to the start of the conference on Monday, Salame told Reuters that he would be discussing June 2019 as a date for the elections in Libya, after Paris-brokered Dec. 10 has been left out.
He added that he hoped Libyans would agree on a form for the constitution referendum in the National Conference in Libya in early 2019 and then carry out a vote for the constitution between late March and late June.
Other leaders attending the Palermo conference, including French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Turkey withdraws
Adding drama to the scene, Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay withdrew early from the Palermo conference, citing his exclusion from the Monday morning mini-summit.
“The informal meeting, held this morning [Monday] with a number of players and having them presented as the prominent protagonists of the Mediterranean, is a very misleading and damaging approach which we vehemently oppose,” he told reporters.
“Turkey is leaving the meeting with deep disappointment,” Oktay said.
He added “The international community, unfortunately, could not reach a consensus this morning. Some [countries] have unilaterally interfered in the process by misusing the meeting being hosted by Italy.”
“As long as some countries continue crippling the process in the direction of its own benefits, stability cannot be provided in Libya,” he added, without naming any country.
Oktay said that it was a very “misleading” and “harming” stance that an unofficial meeting was held between some sides on Monday and these sides were being represented as primary actors in the Mediterranean region.
Haftar’s stance
U.N. envoy Salame said Haftar had committed himself to a U.N. action plan and to holding a national conference early next year prior to elections.
“Haftar is committed to the political process,” Salame told reporters at the end of a reconciliation conference in Italy. “His representatives said that.”
An Italian diplomatic official, briefing reporters in Palermo, said the atmosphere of the mini-meeting was cordial and collaborative and that Haftar told Sarraj to stay in charge until the elections.
However, a statement was released on social media Tuesday by LNA’s spokesperson Ahmed Al-Mismari regarding the Palermo conference. He suggested that Haftar snubbed the broader conference because he accuses representatives from Tripoli of working with militias he considers illegitimate, as well as extremists backed by Qatar.
In an interview provided by his media office, Haftar said he wanted to meet with African leaders in particular to discuss migration.
“We are still at war, and the country needs to secure its borders,” Haftar said.
Libya plunged into chaos after the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi, and it is now governed by rival administrations in the east and west.
It has also become a haven for Islamic militants and armed groups which survive on looting and human trafficking, particularly in the remote south of the country.
