On Thursday, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that Libya’s crisis remains a political stalemate.
Addressing the preparatory ministerial meeting for the 32nd Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia, Aboul Gheit called on the Libyan parties to “hold dialogue and agree on a constitutional basis leading to elections.”
He noted that new approaches are needed in order to break the deadlock. As well as adding that the crises in Libya, Syria, and Yemen had “paved the way for more effective Arab involvement in promoting settlement and addressing the consequences.”
On his part, Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, the Head of the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting, called for solving inter-Arab problems within the Arab League, stressing that the upcoming summit “seeks to unify the language in order to face the challenges facing the region.”
Attaf said Arab countries “should focus on joint Arab action to confront global challenges.”
He supported Saudi Arabia’s efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Sudan, and to solve the Libyan crisis peacefully. He stressed the need to continue efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation and national unity.
Notably, Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down.
Earlier this month, Libya’s permanent representative to the Arab League, Ambassador Abdul-Muttalib Thabet welcomed the decision to readmit Syria to the league, after a 12-year suspension.
According to Reuters, the Arab League readmitted Syria on Sunday after more than a decade of suspension, consolidating a regional push to normalise ties with President Bashar Al-Assad.
The decision said Syria “could resume its participation in Arab League meetings immediately,” while calling for a resolution to the civil war, the flight of refugees to neighbouring countries, and drug smuggling across the region.
