Libyan factions’ leaders reach agreement in Rabat to implement Bouznika Dialogue results

Libyan factions’ leaders, namely President of the Libyan parliament Aguila Saleh and President of the Libyan High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri held talks in Morocco in a bid to relaunch dialogue and find a political solution to end their country’s long-running dispute.

The two officials’ meeting in Rabat highlighted Friday by agreement to implement the results of the inter-Libyan dialogue of Bouznika, on the posts of sovereignty and unification of executive power.

Speaking at a joint press briefing after the meeting, Aguila Saleh said he and Al-Mishri agreed to implement the Bouznika mechanism related to the sovereign positions within the coming weeks, “but not later than the end of the year.”

The mechanism was announced in a final statement by Libyan delegations at the end of a second round of dialogue in Bouznika in October 2020.

It is related to criteria for appointments to leadership positions in the state’s sovereign institutions, including the positions of Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, President of the Audit Bureau, and Head of the Administrative Control Authority, among others.

Appointment to the positions requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of parliament.

The two parties also agreed “to ensure that there is a single executive power in Libya as soon as possible” and it was also agreed to relaunch dialogue to achieve an agreement about the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, Aguila Saleh said.

These elections need to respect “a clear roadmap and legislation, on the basis of which the polls will be held,” he added during the press briefing held in the presence of the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita who received the two Libyan officials as part of the Moroccan commitment to help Libyan factions reach a peaceful and agreed upon political solution to the decade-long crisis.

For his part, Al-Mishri noted that the “splitting of institutions has only exacerbated the crisis and it was imperative to unify them,” stressing that it was agreed to continue the agreement on the measures necessary to conduct the presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

The unification of sovereign institutions and executive power will pave the way for the conduct of these events as soon as possible, Al-Mishri said.

He recalled the meeting held in Bouznika between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State and which was sanctioned by an agreement on the unification of power or sovereign institutions. He noted that this agreement was applied to two sovereignty positions out of seven.

“We will continue our meetings in Morocco during the next period and will diligently follow the sound implementation of what has been agreed upon,” he said.

The two Libyan officials both expressed thanks and gratitude to King Mohammed VI for the efforts he made for the stability and unity of Libya.

They recalled Morocco’s commitment to helping Libyans find a peaceful solution to the conflict and emphasized the Kingdom’s support for Libya’s unity and territorial integrity and its firm position against foreign interference in Libyan domestic affairs.

Morocco hosted a series of roundtable talks between Libyan parties in Tangier and Bouznika and repeatedly rejected any foreign interference in Libyan affairs.