Sarraj llama a la paz en Libia

For nine years, Libyans have been watching as violence wipes out the country's economy and infrastructure. The state's administrative structures have been split in two, and since the death of General Muammar al-Qadhafi, both have been struggling to gain control of the country.

Between the two, a ceasefire was proclaimed in mid-August and since then peace has been negotiated between the opposing sides. These talks are being held in Bouznika (Morocco), Geneva (Switzerland) and Cairo (Egypt), where the idea of uniting both administrations and creating a joint army is being considered.

Fayez Sarraj, who announced his forthcoming resignation a week ago (before October), has asked the international community for support in holding "elections which the Libyans have been waiting for too long", the leader stated in front of the United Nations General Assembly.

The intention to hold a "constructive dialogue" is something that "Tripoli has proved time and again", he stressed. "We want to prevent bloodshed and loss of life," he added in a speech to the assembly celebrating its 75th anniversary.

"Every time I have the opportunity to address this assembly I would like to be able to talk about the end of the difficult transition in my country, to talk about overcoming the great challenges and creating a future of a democratic state in which power is transferred peacefully", he stressed while regretting that "some are acting to undermine these aspirations".

The peace talks are already under way, the main objective being to agree on a constitutional basis and to call parliamentary and presidential elections. Mr Sarraj called for "international support to ensure the success of the elections". "This will put an end to the crisis of legitimacy", he added.

On the one hand, there is the parliament in Tobruk with Aguila Saleh as president. This Parliament is located in the city of Tobruk and is loyal to the Benghazi government, backed by the forces of the Libyan National Army, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar. This part of the administration is supported internationally by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Russia and France.

On the other side is the Libyan High Council of State which represents the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. The president of this body is Khaled al-Mechri and the prime minister is Fayez Sarraj. The latter announced his resignation at the height of the peace talks sponsored by Morocco, a resignation regretted by many owing to the "good leadership" it represents for the side supported by the United Nations, Italy, Turkey and Qatar.

At the beginning of this week Haftar and Saleh met in Cairo to bring their positions closer together. The leader of the Libyan Parliament in Tobruk and the marshal of the Libyan National Army have begun a round of contacts to discuss security, oil and the initiatives that took place in Morocco and Geneva.

Gradually the talks appear to be taking shape, even though the military conflict continues to rage in the streets of Libya. The United Nations has banned arms sales to the African country. However, this week the European Union sanctioned three companies from Turkey, Jordan and Kazakhstan and two Libyans for continuing with these activities in the midst of the ceasefire.

"Unfortunately there were some countries that provided material and other things, countries that are known to everyone", said the prime minister of the NAG in his speech to the UN, referring to Egypt, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia, among others. "This is unacceptable. It violates Libya's independence and sovereignty and the resolutions of the UN Security Council and international law," he said.

In the same vein, he advocated "mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs" and reiterated that "the militias (foreigners who support Haftar) must return to their countries and the ports and oil fields must be left open".

During his speech to the UN General Assembly, the prime minister did not wish to miss the opportunity to remind the audience that, despite the search for a unified government and lasting peace, not everything can be impunity. 

"The only exception would be those whose crimes have been legally proven and have spilled Libyan blood," he said, pointing a veiled finger at Haftar, whom he accuses of having carried out horrible attacks in Tripoli, causing countless losses of human lives.

Despite being in the midst of peace negotiations, the GNA's defence minister, Sala al-Namrush, also refused to hold a dialogue on Monday with the Libyan authorities.

The authorities in Tripoli and the East now have the huge task of agreeing on a new presidential council structure to unify the two opposing administrations and call elections to try and put an end to the conflict in the African country. 

Aguila Saleh has proposed a political initiative to unify the institutions and is currently leading the authorities' political talks. There are currently two central banks in the country and the international authorities have indicated that they need to be unified. Cairo is also discussing the possibility of unifying armies to be completely merged in order to manage the nation's future security.

The negotiations are beginning to bear fruit and Haftar has reopened the oil ports as a sign of goodwill towards the latest talks, even though Mr Sarraj was categorically opposed to this opening. 

Very gradually it seems that new areas of understanding are opening up to put an end to the confrontation that has been raging in Libya for nine years.