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French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held talks on Monday with key political leaders in Libya. Objective: to push for the holding of elections in December in a country still in the grip of chaos.
"In Paris, Libyan officials have pledged to hold presidential and legislative elections according to a precise timetable, by the end of the year," he said after an interview with the head of the Government of National Unity (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, in Tripoli.
"This is what the Libyan citizens aspire to (..) This is the way to go and I have come remember these commitments and this calendar to those who took them and share this approach with those who were not in Paris on May 29, "said the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.
All-Round Encounters
Diving in the instability since the Western military intervention, Libya is divided into two rival political authorities, the GNA in Tripoli – recognized by the international community – and a parallel cabinet in the east of the country, supported by Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Jean-Yves Drian went to the fief of each of the protagonists of the Paris agreement. For example, he met Fayez al-Sarraj and Khlaled al-Mechri, President and President of the State Council (upper house), in Tripoli, before meeting with Marshal Haftar at his headquarters in Benghazi (east). and the president of the House of Representatives, Aguila Salah, in Tobruk (east), 1,200 km from the capital.
All pledged to hold a poll on December 10 and to reunite the country's institutions, start with the central bank, guardian of the resources derived from oil.
The question of militia
The "parliament of Tobruk" must first adopt a "constitutional basis", defining the powers of the president, and electoral laws d 16 September, in view of a referendum, on the basis of the draft proposed by the Constituent Assembly in July 2017.
"I have heard the great determination of President Salah (…) I have no worry or about his determination or on the schedule of the different deadlines to come, "assured the minister to Tobruk.
During his stay in Libya, the French minister also stopped at Misrata, a coastal town located 200 km to the east Tripoli, where some of the most powerful militias in the country make the law. In this city, which had not been associated with the Paris process, Jean-Yves Le Drian met Mayor Mustafa Kerouad, local elected officials and parliamentarians.
Mistrust of Paris
France "supports the efforts of all those" who work for elections, insisted Mr. Le Drian who was making his third trip to Libya. He announced a French contribution of one million dollars (850 000 euros) for the organization of the polls.
But the French initiative is not everywhere welcomed in the same way. Some groups hostile to Marshal Haftar believe that Paris is not "neutral" and supports the strong man of eastern Libya, perceived by France as a bulwark against terrorism with his self-proclaimed "Libyan National Army."
"France supports all the Libyan forces fighting against terrorism everywhere on the territory (…) This fight we continue to lead it together," replied Mr. Le Drian, who met in Tripoli anti-terrorist military units under the control of GNA
A still uncertain deadline
Split into several political entities, Libya remains a haven for jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the south of the country. In an attempt to stabilize it, France is betting on the elections and playing its own score at the risk of turning other countries involved in Libya, Italy in the lead.
But the deadline for elections remains uncertain in a country where actors Politicians and militias also continue to fight for territorial control. At the end of June, the two rival authorities fought a tussle over the control of oil terminals just taken by the ANL men to a local military chief.
"A phenomenon of loss"
In these twists, "there is a phenomenon of loss compared to the ambition displayed on May 29," said Jalel Harchaoui, a specialist in Libya.
The militias who fear losing control of some resources could also to be tempted to disrupt the holding of elections.
The "godfather" countries of the different forces – the United Arab Emirates and Egypt support Marshal Haftar, Qatar and Turkey some Islamist groups – also have their own agenda, as do the Italy, the United States and Great Britain, sometimes competitors
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