Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita received Abdul Hamid Dbeiba in Rabat and reaffirmed the Alawi kingdom's support for the political transition in the North African country

Libya's interim prime minister visits Morocco for the first time since taking office

AFP/FADEL SENNA - Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, chairs a meeting of representatives of Libya's rival administrations in the coastal city of Bouznika

Bilateral relations between Rabat and Tripoli are going through a favourable stage after decades of direct rivalry. Since the fall of the Gaddafi regime and the outbreak of civil war in Libya, Morocco has been working to resolve a conflict that has been a headache for its regional interests.

In the midst of the political transition in the North African country, Abdul Hamid Dbeiba on Sunday made his first official visit to Morocco since becoming Libya's prime minister. He was received by the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, in a visit that crystallises Libya's recognition of the Kingdom's role in diplomatic efforts.

Dbeiba held a bilateral meeting with Bourita and senior officials of the Moroccan government, including his counterpart Saad Eddine Othmani. The talks served to strengthen the ties of cooperation between the two states in political and economic matters, according to the leaders during the subsequent appearance. 

The Moroccan foreign minister vindicated the roadmap foreseen until the elections are held at the end of the year. "If all the conditions for the success of the forthcoming elections on 24 December are met, the Libyan people will be able to enjoy stability, achieve development and put an end to the foreign presence," Bourita assured.

For his part, the Libyan prime minister thanked the Moroccan monarch, Mohammed VI, for his position on the Libyan issue and for the "efforts" of the Alawi kingdom to unify the institutions of the state and defend political stability in the North African country.

In any case, Dbeiba's arrival in Morocco came days after his participation in the 2nd Berlin Conference. The multilateral meeting convened in the German capital discussed the new scenario in Libya, still marked by the presence of foreign fighters and mercenaries.

Morocco, which was not invited to attend the first Berlin summit a year and a half ago, was invited to this second meeting. However, Rabat rejected the offer outright, arguing that the resolution of the conflict should take place within Libyan society and should not be imposed from outside.

In addition, a Libyan delegation consisting of Presidential Council President Mohamed Menfi, Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush and Dbeiba himself held a bilateral meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas 24 hours before the summit. Even Chancellor Angela Merkel received Libya's interim prime minister.

Friction between Morocco and Germany has influenced the Libyan chessboard in recent months. The Federal Republic's stance on the Western Sahara issue, which favours an agreed referendum, has angered the Alawi kingdom. Likewise, Berlin's involvement in Tripoli's affairs is troubling Rabat's intentions.

In this scenario, Libya's representatives are trying to retain the support of as many international actors as possible. One of the most important of these is Morocco, considered a vital partner in the region by the Government of National Unity (GNU), which was formed on 15 March.

For his part, the Moroccan foreign minister justified Dbeiba's visit as part of the "continuous communication" between the Moroccan government and the various Libyan institutions. Bourita referred to the visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, on Thursday 24 June.

"My presence here today falls within the framework of continuous communication with Morocco and its fundamental role in resolving the Libyan crisis," Saleh said. "Morocco does not need to attend conferences because it is always with us," said the acting president of the Libyan parliament after his second visit to Rabat in less than a month.

Saleh immediately travelled to the Moroccan capital after participating in the 2nd Berlin Conference with the aim of conveying the terms of the summit to the Alawi Kingdom.

In a joint appearance with the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Bourita assured that Morocco would not change its position on the Libyan question "based on an invitation or absence". The foreign minister remarked that "Morocco's role did not begin with Berlin and will not end with Berlin".

The statements by the Moroccan foreign minister suggest that Rabat's support for the new Libyan institutions and the political transition in the North African country is full. 

Moroccan diplomacy on Libya

The Kingdom has been working autonomously on the Libyan chessboard since 2014, although it has the approval of the UN and the United States. Nevertheless, the Moroccan authorities have sought to highlight the factors that differentiate their involvement in Libya from other actors.  

Morocco's intervention in the Libyan conflict led to the 2015 Sjirat pact. In this agreement, the parties agreed to create a government of national unity consisting of a president, two vice-presidents and six other members. Despite partial rejection by eastern Libya, Sjirat became a landmark agreement for a political solution in the North African country. 

Earlier this month, Morocco organised a new inter-Libyan summit to reconcile the positions of the House of Representatives and the Council of State, bodies embroiled in a dispute over the selection procedure for the heads of the seven sovereign institutions.

The lack of understanding between institutions and, above all, foreign interference hinder progress. "As of today, there has been no withdrawal of mercenaries, no withdrawal of foreign fighters, but plans for withdrawal are being prepared, especially by the Libyan Joint Military Commission," warned UN humanitarian coordinator Georgette Gagnon.

Foreign mercenaries are hampering real progress in the North African country. The UN counts a total of 20,000 fighters sent by Russia - through the Wagner Group - and Turkey. In this regard, the military leadership is preparing a forceful response to expel foreign mercenaries from Libya, according to Gagnon. 

General Khalifa Haftar is not facilitating the political transition either. Despite backing the GNU, interference by the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA) is frequent. The latest came last week with the alleged seizure of a border post with Algeria as part of an operation to "track takfiri terrorists". 

In response, the Presidential Council issued an order limiting the presence of troops and prohibiting military attacks under any circumstances. Thus, some instability remains in Libya and Morocco aims to facilitate the process.