Alongside many countries, Morocco participated, in informal consultations on supporting the political process in Libya, on the sidelines of the meetings of the 78 sessions of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, expressing their solidarity with Libyan people in the wake of the devastating floods that hit the city of Derna.
Morocco, the US, UAE, the UK, Qatar, and Germany, in the presence of Abdullah Bathili, the Special Representative to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Libya, all convened together.
According to the US State Department, these countries stressed “the need for renewed international commitment to advance the political process in Libya under UN auspices, including urging the finalization of the draft election law, and supporting the efforts of the UN representative to hold a meeting with key Libyan stakeholders to stimulate the electoral process on the basis of a political agreement.”
Analysts noted that Rabat’s participation in these consultations reflects Morocco’s commitment to advancing the political process in the country, a continuation of the diplomatic efforts of the Kingdom, which has embraced many rounds of dialogue between the Libyan parties.
These efforts are demonstrated by the Skhirat Agreements, the Bouznika consultations, and sponsorship of the work of the “6+6” joint Libyan committee to prepare electoral laws last June, which culminated in agreements that resulted in Rabat receiving international praise for its important role in this framework.
Idris Ahmed, a Libyan political analyst underlined Rabat’s important role in the political settlement in Libya, which shows through hosting many meetings, “The most important of which is embracing the committee that supervised the preparation of electoral laws.”
Morocco’s participation in these consultations reflects the firm commitment of the Moroccan state to accompany the transition towards democracy in Libya and establish a coherent political model based on a solid constitutional base, he explained.
Ahmed added, in a statement to MoroccoLatestNews AR, that “Morocco’s presence in this type of consultation also reflects the confidence of the international community and the United Nations in the credibility of the diplomatic efforts led by Rabat on the Libyan scene and in its capabilities to embrace the various Libyan parties and bring their viewpoints closer.
“Electoral elections will be held on a consensual basis in a way that serves the interests of the Libyan people,” said the specialist.
However, the ball is now in the court Libyans, especially since recent developments such as the Derna floods have revealed the country’s urgent need for stability and the necessity of finding a solution to the political crisis in Libya.
Ahmed concluded that “the opportunity is ripe for all Libyan parties to show good faith and adhere to the agreements that took place in Morocco.”
Said Barknan, a political analyst, said Morocco’s participation in these consultations is a continuation of Rabat’s efforts since it convinced the Libyan parties of the necessity of searching for a political solution to the Libyan crisis and laying the foundations of the Libyan state after the revolution.
Barknan explained that the Moroccan presence in this meeting is evidence that the Kingdom is one of the countries that the Libyan parties trust and on which the United Nations relies, in the person of its special envoy to Libya, to help it find a political solution to this crisis.
“The Moroccan role gains great confidence from the determinants set by Moroccan diplomacy with regard to the Libyan file, and these determinants are what give the Moroccan position strength and a role that cannot be overlooked, whether by the Libyan parties or by the countries concerned, as well as by the United Nations,” he further stated.
The first of these determinants lies in the fact that Morocco distinguishes between legitimacy and consensus management, as it affirms that only Libyans have the legitimacy to choose who will manage their public and political affairs through fair parliamentary and presidential elections and that the solution to the Libyan crisis must take place within the framework of Libya’s full sovereignty within the framework of its territorial integrity.
The same political analyst added that “Morocco has always stressed that any solution to the Libyan crisis must take place within a Libyan-Libyan framework, away from foreign interference, and in a peaceful framework under UN auspices, and not a military solution at all.”
He came to the conclusion that through these factors identified by Moroccan diplomacy toward Libya, it appears that Morocco’s message has reached the Libyan parties, the UN, and the countries interested in the fact that Morocco is putting all of its efforts forth out of its commitment to the Libyans first and towards its regional role and Arab weight.