On Saturday, the French Envoy to Libya, Paul Soler held a meeting with the Libyan Ambassador to France, Khaled Kagigi to discuss the latest political developments in the country, and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.
In a statement, the Libyan Embassy in Paris stressed that France is “keen to play a positive role in stabilizing Libya, with a view to reaching a comprehensive agreement that aims to achieve Parliamentary and Presidential elections, based on a consensual constitutional framework.”
In March, Soler said Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) will hold a meeting in Paris soon.
He added that the meeting “will be an opportunity to set clear goals for the military track, in order to achieve sovereignty and border security. As well as the withdrawal of foreign forces from Libyan territory.”
The French diplomat noted that France’s priority is “the security and peace of Libya and the region, and the restoration of full sovereignty for Libyans over their territories.”
He explained that France “exerts a great effort in supporting the military track, in cooperation with the United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Despite the fragile security situation in Libya, the interim ceasefire agreement of October 2020 is still holding.”
He pointed out that the last meeting of the JMC in Tunisia, on 8 December, was under the auspices of the French Presidency.
Soler explained that the meeting resulted in a “positive dynamic” that led to an agreement to establish joint forces to implement plans for disarmament and reintegration of combatants.
Libya descended into a decade of violence following the 2011 overthrow of the late longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed rebellion.
The resulting power grab in Libya has given rise to a myriad of home-grown militias and prompted interventions by Arab powers, Turkey, and Western states.
Presidential and legislative elections were originally scheduled for December 2021, to cap a UN-sponsored peace process. The polls were postponed indefinitely, because of controversial candidates, and legal issues.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
