News Analysis: Permanent cease-fire in Libya depends on ending foreign interference, seriousness about dialogue: experts

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, October 25, 2020
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by Mahmoud Darwesh

TRIPOLI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The success of the permanent cease-fire agreement signed by the Libyan parties on Friday in Geneva depends on ending foreign interference in the country and the seriousness of all parties concerned in adopting dialogue as the sole means to solve the Libyan crisis, Libyan experts said.

"All neighboring, regional and foreign countries intertwined in the Libyan crisis have formally supported the cease-fire, as we saw broad support immediately after the announcement of the agreement," Khaled Al-Muntaser, a Libyan professor of international relations, told Xinhua.

"However, the most important thing is to support the agreement in substance and sincerity. For specific countries, they should stop supplying the parties to the conflict in Libya with weapons and mercenaries," Al-Muntaser said.

Stephanie Williams, acting special representative of the UN secretary-general in Libya, on Friday announced that the Libyan delegations to the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva have signed a permanent cease-fire agreement.

"The parties agreed that all military units and armed groups on the frontlines shall return to their camps. This shall be accompanied by the departure of all mercenaries and foreign fighters from all Libyan territories -- land, air and sea -- within a maximum period of three months from today," Williams said, confirming that the cease-fire does not apply to UN-designated terrorist groups.

Khaled Tarhouni, a Libyan political analyst, said UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj welcomed the agreement and described it as one saving Libyan lives a few hours after the agreement was announced.

"However, his comment was cautious and did not address the agreement and its chances of success," Tarhouni noted.

It is worth noting that the commander of the east-based army, Khalifa Haftar, has not yet issued any comment on the agreement, which "illustrates the state of suspicion, caution and distrust between the parties to the conflict in Libya," he said.

Moreover, Mohamed Gonono, spokesman of the forces of the UN-backed Libyan government, on Saturday doubted any intention of the east-based army to "withdraw more than 5,000 mercenaries" from the country.

Gonono asked in a statement the UN Support Mission in Libya to send monitors to investigate "transport of foreign mercenaries" of the rival east-based army in Sirte city and Jufra district in central Libya, as well as the southern city of Brak.

Khalifa Tellisi, a Libyan military analyst, said the cease-fire agreement needed to be accompanied by greater international firmness.

"I think the UN Security Council needed to define sanctions against any country or entity that threatens the cease-fire agreement in Libya, so that the agreement is immune from disparagement from foreign countries that might consider ignoring it and try to achieve gains on the ground by reusing military options. A military option will only bring more chaos and polarization to the already complex Libyan crisis," he explained.

The east-based army and the UN-backed government had been engaged in a deadly armed conflict for more than a year in and around the capital Tripoli, which ended in early June with the UN-backed government announcing its takeover of all western Libya after withdrawal of the east-based army. Enditem

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