Libyan MP’s and permanent members of the African Parliament, Youssef Al-Fakhri, Salem Qanan, and Saleh Qalameh, participated in the opening of the second regular session of the sixth legislative session of the African Parliament, held in Midrand, South Africa.
According to a statement by the Parliament, the session of the African Parliament was titled “African Union 2023 Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”
The President of the African Union, the guest of honour of the session, delivered a speech in which he affirmed the Union’s support for the African Parliament, as the legislative body of the Union. This was followed by a speech by the President of the African Parliament. The session also witnessed the swearing-in of the new members of the African Parliament.
The second regular session of the sixth legislative session will last from 15 May to 02 June 2023.
In February, the Chief of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki Mahamat revealed that AU is organizing a national reconciliation conference for Libya, in a bid to restore stability to the conflict-wracked nation.
Faki said, “We have met with the different parties and we are in the process of working with them on a date and place for the national conference.”
The AUC Chief noted that the meeting will be chaired by Congolese President Nguesso.
Accordingly, a fairly broad consensus was reached about the initiative adopted by the President to organize a comprehensive reconciliation conference this year.
Notably, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres stressed the “urgent need for a political will to break the protracted political stalemate in Libya, and achieve progress on multiple fronts.”
Addressing the latest meeting of the High-level Committee on Libya, taking place in Addis Ababa, the UN Chief stated that “progress is sorely needed towards holding elections and advancing gains in security, national reconciliation, and human rights.” He added that the UN “continues to be committed to Libyan-owned and Libyan-led solutions.”
Guterres noted that the UN has been “totally committed to overcoming the misunderstandings of the past. We have no agenda and no goal but one: to secure the right of the Libyan people to live in peace, to vote in free and fair elections, and to share in the prosperity of their country.”