The ministerial meeting of the neighboring countries of Libya starts on Monday at the International Conference Center in the capital, and will last for two days, to draw up a road map for organizing the general elections scheduled for December 24 on schedule.
The meeting is attended by the foreign ministers of Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Niger, Chad and Congo, along with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the African Union Commissioner for Political, Peace and Security, Mr. Bankouli Adewe, and the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya, Mr. Yan Kubis, where the delegations participating in the meeting arrive successively in Algiers.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, received, on Sunday, the African Union Commissioner for Political, Peace and Security, Mr. Bankouli Adewe, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Congo, Mr. Jean-Claude Gakosso, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the sisterly Republic of Tunisia, Mr. Othman Jerandi, in addition to the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya, Mr. Jan Kubis.
The discussions focused on the meeting of the neighboring countries of Libya, which Algeria hosts, with an emphasis on the pivotal role of the neighboring countries of Libya in strengthening efforts aimed at laying the foundations of security and stability by organizing transparent elections in which the Libyan people choose their representatives.
The ministerial meeting will discuss overcoming various obstacles in order to organize elections on their due date at the end of this year by providing the general conditions for the success of this electoral path, and through the consensus of Libyans and their consensus around these elections and overcoming all causes of division and disagreement.
The meeting comes as an affirmation of the importance of the role of Libya’s neighboring countries and the African Union in laying the foundations for peace in Libya and intensifying coordination with the active countries to reach understandings that would keep Libya away from the predicament of not holding elections on time.
This meeting is the second of its kind after the meeting hosted by Algeria in January 2020, in which seven foreign ministers from the neighboring countries of Libya participated.
The foreign ministers of the Libya Neighborhood Mechanism had directed the Libyan parties to engage in the path of political dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations and with the participation of the African Union and the neighboring countries of Libya, to reach a comprehensive solution to this crisis, away from any external interference.
They also affirmed their support for efforts and initiatives aimed at “finding a solution to the Libyan crisis, and for the outcomes of the Berlin Conference” and stressed “the importance that neighboring countries attach to securing their borders with Libya, and the need for coordination and cooperation in order to address all risks that threaten the security and stability of Libya and all countries in the region, including Sahel region”.
In their statement, the participants praised the efforts “made by Algeria during the period leading up to the Berlin conference, which was embodied in the visits of many high-level delegations to Algeria, including delegations representing parties of the Libyan crisis.” They also praised Algeria’s declaration during the Berlin Conference of its willingness to host meetings between the Libyan brothers to bring the views of the Libyan parties closer and call them to return to the dialogue table and negotiate to end the Libyan crisis in a manner that preserves the unity and sovereignty of the Libyan people.
