In an article published with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on 5 December, Tarek Megerisi argues that Libya has experienced last month the most important development in its recent history. Megerisi notes ironically that this « new current » in the « stagnant waters » of Libyan politics is not the Palermo Conference, but a report issued by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue for the UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salamé. The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue conducted 77 consultations across Libya, and the report outlines « popular » opinions from Libyan citizens on the issues faced by Libya. According to Megerisi :
The findings repeatedly emphasise consultees’ view that Libya should remain unified; specifically, that a unified and effective government should be a prerequisite to unfreezing Libya’s state assets and lifting the UN arms embargo on Libya. The report also sets out what government priorities should be at local and national levels; addresses the security situation by highlighting the need for the country’s various forces to unify in a process “free from regional interference”; and even proposes core tenets for distributing power and resources.
UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salamé will use the findings of the report for the National Conference which will be organized in 2019, Megerisi reports.Click here to read the full article.