The four key leaders in war-torn Libya have agreed at a summit in Paris to an ambitious, and potentially unrealistic, plan to stage “credible, peaceful” parliamentary and legislative elections in the country on 10 December.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president and the summit’s host, hailed the agreement as a turning point in efforts to bring about reconciliation in Libya, saying it represented a new impetus to restore Libya’s sovereignty.

“We now have clear commitments for the country, an approved calendar for parliamentary and presidential elections,” he said.

The parties also agreed that by 16 September they would establish the constitutional basis for elections and adopt the necessary electoral laws.

The key passage reads: “We pledge … to work constructively with the United Nations to hold credible and peaceful elections on December 10 and to respect the results of the elections.”

The statement is endorsed, but not signed, by Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed government in Tripoli; the military leader of the east of the country, Khalifa Haftar; the president of the house of representatives, Aguila Saleh; and the head of the council of state, Khaled al-Mishri.

Macron said the agreement had not been signed because the groups needed to consult, and any case they did not recognise one another’s authority.

There had been a dispute about whether the presidential elections could go ahead without prior agreement between the factions on the basics of a constitution. The two chief factions based in the east and west of the country have been unable to agree a constitution for two years, but the election of a new national leadership could cut through these disagreements.

Twenty-four organisations, including five African heads of state attended the summit, in a sign of how badly the Libyan civil war has damaged the continent and southern Europe.

Speaking at a press conference after the agreement, Macron said he was not naive and there remained a risk of terrorists disrupting the elections. Twelve people were killed in an Islamic State attack on the headquarters of the Electoral Commission in Tripoli on 2 May.

But Macron said it had been the first time the entire international community with an interest in Libya had come together to endorse this process of reconciliation. He said there was Libyan will to move to elections that justified pushing the timetable forward.

Ghassan Salamé, the UN special envoy for Libya, admitted there remained huge work to be done, and he called for a ceasefire among all the groups to allow the preparations for the elections, saying “enough blood has been spilled”.

The agreement states Libyan security forces “will be in charge of guaranteeing the electoral process”, with “appropriate support” from the UN, regional organisations and the international community.

Those responsible for any obstruction of the electoral process will have to “render an account”, the accord adds, without specifying what, if any, sanctions it could incur.

To “improve the climate for national elections”, the Tobruk-based house of representatives close to Haftar will have to relocate to Tripoli and the parallel government established in the eastern part of the country will eventually have to be dismantled.

The two houses must “immediately work to unify the central bank of Libya and other institutions”, they agreed. The agreement also proposes a national inclusive conference, but no timetable was set.

In the medium term, the military and security forces, divided into multiple militias besides the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) of Haftar, will also have to be unified under the auspices of the UN.

Claudia Gazzini, senior Libya analyst for the non-governmental International Crisis Group, said: “There is some symbolic importance to the fact that the four Libyan leaders agreed to sit together. But the key will be to see if the four deliver on their promises and how others, including their allies at home, react.”

She described the timetable as extremely optimistic and expressed concern that it put too much emphasis on elections as a solution as opposed to the military, security and economic dimensions.



Libyan rendition: how UK's role in kidnap of families came to light Read more

Haftar’s commitment to democracy has been questioned by his critics, and in the run-up to the conference the LNA was making gains at the gates of Derna, a key coastal town held by Islamists.



Haftar has presented himself to the west as a strongman who can bring order to the country and end the crisis that has led to more than 400,000 Africans being trafficked through Libya to reach Italy by boat.

The advance of populist parties in Italy has largely been put down to the Italian public’s anger at the failure to control the flow of African refugees and migrants. Although the number of arrivals has slowed dramatically over the past year, more than 11,000 people have been registered in Italy so far in 2018 after being picked up in the Mediterranean. The figure is more than 75% down on the same point in 2017.

The scale of the public opposition appears to have caught pro-European Italians by surprise. Reflecting on the recent Italian elections, Emma Bonino, a former Italian minister, told a Paris seminar on Monday: “We knew there was a wave of scepticism, nationalism and racism that could come in but we did not know it would be a tsunami.”</s>Four senior Libyan leaders committed at a Paris peace conference Tuesday to holding elections in the fractured and war-wracked country on December 10, a joint statement said.

“The parties have committed to set the constitutional basis for elections and adopt the necessary electoral laws by September 16, 2018, and hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10, 2018,” it said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the conference, has been pushing the rival Libyans and other representatives from regional powers to agree a political roadmap to stabilise the oil-rich north African state.

The Libyan signatories were Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli, and 75-year-old military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose rival Libyan National Army dominates the country’s east.

Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk who opposes the UN-backed administration, as well as Khalid Al-Mishri, the newly-elected head of the High Council of State, also signed the statement after around four hours of talks in Paris.

Posing for a group photo, Macron asked his guests to verbally commit to the agreement — which they did.

“So we are all working on this common basis, bravo!” he said.

Some diplomats and analysts have voiced doubt whether the country, which is swamped by weapons and controlled by a patchwork of political groups and armed militias, will be able to hold elections.

Some countries, such as former colonial power Italy, had previously argued that Libya needed to agree on a new constitution before holding elections.

“Libyan leaders commit to accept the results of elections, and ensure appropriate funds and strong security arrangements are in place,” the joint statement said.

They also agreed “to improve the atmosphere for national elections” by measures such as “phasing out parallel government and institutions” and working to unify the Libyan Central Bank.

Years of mediation by the United Nations, as well as Italy, have failed to bring stability to the north African nation after it descended into chaos following the ousting of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

“It went well. Afterwards, it depends on the implementation,” one diplomat said on the sidelines of the talks on condition of anonymity.

Representatives from 20 countries including Egypt, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey attended, as well as neighbours Algeria and Tunisia.

Militias from the Libyan city of Misrata boycotted the proceedings in Paris, however, leaving western Libya under-represented at the talks.</s>Four Libyan leaders on Tuesday committed to holding elections in the fractured country on December 10 in a joint statement issued at a peace conference in Paris.

The four men, who represent most but not all of Libya’s rival factions, also agreed to “accept the results of elections, and ensure appropriate funds and strong security arrangements are in place.”

The commitment to holding parliamentary and presidential polls this year came after four hours of talks in Paris where they faced pressure to agree on a political roadmap that could end seven years of conflict.

European leaders see stabilising Libya as key to tackling jihadist threats and migration from the country, which has become a departure point for hundreds of thousands of Africans trying to reach Europe.

“I’m optimistic,” UN envoy Ghassan Salame told AFP at the end of the talks.

The Libyan invitees were Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli, and 75-year-old military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose rival Libyan National Army dominates the country’s east.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk who opposes the UN-backed administration, and Khalid Al-Mishri, the newly-elected head of the High Council of State, who both agreed to the statement.

“There is no solution other than via you,” Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi told the Libyan leaders at the opening of the talks. “If things go badly, it’s your responsibility.”

Macron called the final agreement “an essential step toward reconciliation,” adding that the conference was “historic” because it had brought the rivals together around the same table for the first time.

Despite the French-led efforts to seek a political settlement, many analysts and diplomats were sceptical about real change on the ground.

Some have voiced doubt whether the country, which is swamped by weapons and controlled by a patchwork of political groups and armed militias, will be able to hold elections.

“I believe that elections are a big risk in a country armed like Libya,” Federica Saini Fasanotti, an analyst with the Washington-based Brookings Institution, told AFP.

Some countries, such as former colonial power Italy, had also argued that the country needed to agree on a new constitution before holding elections.

Years of mediation by the United Nations, as well as Italy, have failed to bring stability to the north African nation which descended into chaos after the ousting of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

“It went well. Afterwards, it depends on the implementation,” one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The four leaders did not sign the agreement, instead giving their approval for the statement to be issued.

Posing for a group photo, Macron asked his guests to verbally commit to the deal — which they did.

“So we are all working on this common basis, bravo!” he said.

Representatives from 20 countries including Egypt, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey attended the talks, as well as neighbours Algeria and Tunisia.

Stabilising Libya has been complicated by diverging interests among Middle Eastern countries, which have sometimes backed opposing sides in the fighting, as well as the competition between Europeans.

Macron referred to foreign countries “pulling strings behind a curtain” but claimed that Tuesday’s agreement had put all regional actors on the same page.

The French leader threw himself into finding a solution shortly after his election in May 2017, inviting Sarraj and Haftar to Paris in July — a move that irked Italy.

Some in Rome suspect Macron of organising the conference at a time when Italy, which has major oil interests in Libya, is embroiled in a deep political crisis.

“It’s as if Macron wanted to make the most of this moment of absence by Italy on the Libyan dossier,” Italian newspaper La Repubblica wrote last week, citing diplomatic sources.

France is also suspected by some rivals within Libya of favouring Haftar, a military strongman who has fought Islamist militias and who was recently treated in a Parisian hospital for an undisclosed ailment.

“There is clear apprehension among many in western Libya that the French initiative is an attempt to reinforce the position of Khalifa Haftar as the key power broker in Libya,” said Mohamed Eljarh of the Libya Outlook consulting firm.

The International Crisis Group, an NGO that studies conflict zones, had also voiced caution about the French conference.

“Much more work remains to be done for a peace-building effort in Libya to succeed,” it said on Monday. “For this reason, Crisis Group believes that France should not request that its four Libyan guests sign an accord.”</s>According to the Libyan official, the parties have reached an agreement on "finalizing a constitutional base for elections" by September 16.

The international conference on the settlement of the situation in Libya is taking place on May 29 in Paris. The meeting is held under the aegis of the UN with the participation of the head of the Government of National Accord of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj, as well as head of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east of the country.

"Positive that all Libya parties present at Paris conference agreed on the timeline leading to elections in December. Let us hope, and help them in keeping this important commitment," Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said from inside the meeting.

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Seraj, eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar and the heads of two parliamentary assemblies are attending the talks, which aim to draft a roadmap for elections.

READ MORE: Libya's Haftar Forces Take Control of Entrance to Derna — Spokesman

The country has been in turmoil since the 2011 civil war that resulted in the overthrow of Gaddafi. The eastern part of Syria is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the LNA, which is engaged in the struggle against militants. At the same time, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.</s>Libya's rival leaders agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10 following a meeting in Paris.

Representatives from 20 countries - including Libya's neighbours, regional and European powers, the United States and international organisations - were at meetings at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday.

"The parties have committed to set the constitutional basis for elections and adopt the necessary electoral laws by September 16, 2018, and hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10, 2018," said a joint statement.

Taher al-Sonni, an adviser to Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, said in a tweet that four parties gathered at the talks also agreed on "finalising a constitutional base for elections" by September 16.

Libya splintered following the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014 the North African nation has been divided into competing political and military factions based in Tripoli and the east.

The United Nations is leading an effort to reunify the oil-rich country and to organise national elections.

The Paris meeting, which included eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar, Tripoli Prime Minister Sarraj, and leaders of rival parliamentary assemblies, aimed to urge them to agree to general principles for ending Libya's crisis and moving towards elections.

"Positive that all Libya parties present at Paris conference agreed [to a] timeline leading to elections in December," Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said from inside the meeting. "Let us hope, and help them in keeping this important commitment.

Libya is split between rival governments in the east and west, each backed by an array of armed groups.

Representatives of Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, which have backed Haftar and the rival administration in Tobruk in the east, also attended.

France is trying to play peacemaker in a country where years of efforts by the United Nations and former colonial power Italy have failed to bring stability.

French President Emmanuel Macron brought the two rival Libyan leaders Sarraj and Haftar together at a meeting near Paris last July. They committed themselves to working towards presidential and parliamentary elections.

The International Crisis Group warned the Paris conference might unintentionally undermine the UN-led peace process.

"French organisers should avoid imposing too rigid a framework," the group said in a statement on Monday.</s>Four powerful players in Libya, including U.N.-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and military leader Khalifa Haftar, agreed during a meeting in Paris to work toward holding parliamentary and presidential elections by December 10.

"The declaration is a significant and welcome step forward in Libya's political transition," said a U.N. statement released hours after the meeting was held.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid al-Mishri, head of the High Council of State in Tripoli.

"The meeting recognised the importance of developing a constitutional basis for elections," said the U.N. statement, adding that the four leaders had agreed to work with the United Nations on a proposal and timeline to adopt a constitution.

The Libyan players "committed to work constructively with the United Nations to realise parliamentary and presidential elections in a secure environment by 10 December 2018 at the latest and to respect the results of the election."

A U.N. conference will be held to follow up on the Paris meeting, the statement said, without specifying a date.</s>The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is to take a calculated risk by bringing Libyan factions together in Paris and having them commit to elections this year, in an attempt to end the chaos that has exacerbated the refugee crisis and caused economic misery for Libyans.

Macron has invited Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the UN-recognised government, and Khalifa Haftar, the military leader who dominates in the east of the country, to the French capital on Tuesday in a move that has been denounced by some factions as colonial interference.

The two leaders, along with two other key figures in Libyan politics, will commit to holding presidential and parliamentary elections this year. But there is a dispute as to whether such elections can be held before an agreement is reached on a new constitution – a matter about which there has been a negotiating deadlock for two years. The UN’s efforts to secure a deal ground to a halt a month ago.

The 13-point accord expected to be agreed at the Paris summit will also seek a commitment to reform and unify the Libyan central bank, the body that collects the country’s growing oil revenues.

Representatives of 20 countries, including the leaders of at least five African nations, will witness the signing of a document committing to elections and to the imposition of sanctions if any signatory stands in the way of their occurrence.

The two leaders of the rival Libyan parliamentary assemblies – the speaker of the house of representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa, and the Tripoli-based head of the high council of state, Khaled al-Mishri – are also attending.

Various military factions in the west of Libya have either been excluded or decided to boycott the event, claiming France – alarmed by how much damage the Libyan political impasse can wreak in Europe – is biased towards quick elections that will benefit Haftar.

Crisis Group, a thinktank that closely follows Libya, said the summit was risky and audacious. In a special report it said: “Reaching an accord could generate a brief moment of enthusiasm but risks being followed by recriminations when signatories – facing opposition by some of their allies back home – renege on their pledges. French organisers should avoid imposing too rigid a framework.”

Macron summoned Haftar and Serraj to a similar summit a year ago, but the French officials say it is now clear Libyans want to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. The accord provides for extra time for voter registration to be completed.

Broadly, the French, Emiratis and Egyptians are content for the elections to be held before a new constitution is agreed, but other key players such as Italy disagree, questioning how a country can elect a president if the office holder’s powers are not defined.

Haftar’s commitment to democracy has been questioned by his critics, and in the run-up to the conference his Egyptian-backed force, the Libyan National Army, was making gains at the gates of Derna, a key coastal town held by Islamists.

Haftar has presented himself to the west as a strongman who can bring order to the country and end the crisis that has led to more than 400,000 Africans being trafficked through Libya to reach Italy by boat.

The advance of populist parties in Italy has largely been put down to the Italian public’s anger at the failure to control the flow of African refugees and migrants.

Although the number of arrivals has slowed dramatically over the past year, more than 11,000 migrants have been registered in Italy so far in 2018 after being picked up in the Mediterranean. The figure is more than 75% down on the same point in 2017.

The scale of the public opposition appears to have caught pro-European Italians by surprise. Reflecting on the recent Italian elections, Emma Bonino, a former Italian minister, told a Paris seminar on Monday: “We knew there was a wave of scepticism, nationalism and racism that could come in but we did not know it would be a tsunami.”

But there are fears that the pressure to find a solution will result in corners being cut. Speaking before the summit, Human Rights Watch France said: “The international community, but most of all Libyans, need to hear Libyan leaders pledge significant improvements to the rule of law, justice and accountability – including for their own abusive forces – before organising elections.”

It said Libyan authorities should pledge to ensure candidates could campaign freely without undue risk of attack; set up an independent audit of the voter registry; secure polling places in areas under their control; and ensure there is sufficient court security to allow adjudication of disputes.

Human Rights Watch said the current legal framework for holding elections remained opaque.</s>Who agreed to the deal?
• Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, (above second left) head of the UN-backed unity government based in the capital, Tripoli
• Khalifa Haftar, (above right) the 75-year-old military strongman , whose rival Libyan National Army fighters dominate the country's east
• Aguila Saleh Issa, (above second right) the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, who opposes the UN-backed administration
• Khalid al-Mishri, (above left) head of the High Council of State, Libya's highest consultative body formed from the 2012 parliament.</s>United Nations chief Antonio Guterres praised Tuesday an agreement endorsed by Libya’s rival leaders to support elections as a “significant and welcome step forward” in the North African country’s political transition.

Four powerful players in Libya, including UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and military leader Khalifa Haftar, agreed during a meeting in Paris to work toward holding parliamentary and presidential elections by December 10.

“The declaration is a significant and welcome step forward in Libya’s political transition,” said a UN statement released hours after the meeting was held.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid al-Mishri, head of the High Council of State in Tripoli.

“The meeting recognized the importance of developing a constitutional basis for elections,” said the UN statement, adding that the four leaders had agreed to work with the United Nations on a proposal and timeline to adopt a constitution.

The Libyan players “committed to work constructively with the United Nations to realize parliamentary and presidential elections in a secure environment by 10 December 2018 at the latest and to respect the results of the election.”

A UN conference will be held to follow up on the Paris meeting, the statement said, without specifying a date.

The United Nations has launched a plan to bring stability to Libya through elections this year that are meant to turn the page on years of turmoil since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi.

Libya remains divided between the UN-backed government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east that enjoys support from Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.</s>The gathering of Libyan leaders in Paris this week marked a positive step for the violence-wracked country, but analysts warn the absence of key players could make the optimism short-lived.

The Tuesday meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron brought together four leaders representing most -- but notably not all -- of Libya's rival factions.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli, was at the table along with military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose rival Libyan National Army dominates the country's east.

Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid Al-Mishri, the newly elected head of the High Council of State.

The leaders dispute each other's legitimacy and are entwined with numerous militias who are known to switch their allegiances.

Despite the stark differences, the four leaders agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10 and vowed to respect the results.

They also said they would work towards phasing out parallel institutions and unifying the Libyan Central Bank.

In a sign of the fragility of such promises, the Libyans verbally agreed on the proposals rather than formally signing a text.

Rachid Khechana, director of the Mediterranean Centre for Libyan Studies, said a signature on paper does not necessary mean action.

"Even if the declaration had been signed, we know how many (Libyan) politicians, in particular MPs, have failed to uphold their commitment," he said, citing a 2015 Libya deal agreed in Morocco which numerous signatories did not implement.

Khechana highlighted the absence in Paris of "groups and networks of great influence, including the tribal chiefs and the armed groups".

In western Libya, "some of these groups are more influential than the government," he added, in reference to the UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Federica Saini Fasanotti, from the Brookings Institution in Washington, agreed "the solution in Libya is strictly connected to the armed groups".

As long as the international community continues to negotiate with political leaders "who are not fully recognised on the ground... the situation in Libya won't be solved," she said.

The International Crisis Group drew on the absence of a delegation from the city of Misrata, home to the most powerful armed groups in western Libya.

GNA deputy premier Ahmed Maiteeq, who represents Misrata, refused to attend the Paris meeting according to one of his advisers.

Ibrahim Ben Rjab, a senior military figure in the Misrata militia, told AFP the city had boycotted the meeting in protest at the presence of Haftar whom they accuse of wanting to establish a dictatorship.

While there are "some positive points" to come out of Paris, he said the agreement has no official status and "ultimately is not worth anything because it hasn't been signed".

Fathi Bashagha, a Misrata lawmaker, said that "the outcome of the Paris meeting is good," but the pledges "remain words and wishes on paper, in the absence of a clear mechanism for applying them".

Analysts remain sceptical that Libya will go to the polls in December, despite leaders in Paris agreeing to adopt the necessary laws by September 16.

"The legal framework for holding elections remains opaque," said Human Rights Watch.

Staging elections is "unrealistic from a strictly technical perspective," said Crisis Group.

"Neither the legal nor the constitutional framework is in place -- hurdles that may prove impossible to overcome within a short timeframe," the organisation added.
Four Libyan leaders – Fayez al-Sarraj, Khalifa Haftar, Aguila Saleh and head of the Council of State Khaled al-Mishri – endorse a statement calling to hold "credible, peaceful" elections on 10 December.