Leon was trying to convince the GNC to attend continuing dialogue talks that will resume tomorrow September 3 in Geneva. The tangible result was that the GNC agreed to attend the talks although it is not clear whether he convinced them that he will ensure that the amendments the GNC wants in the Libyan Political Agreement(LPA) as it is now called will be enshrined in the final document. So far Leon has insisted there will be no amendments.
In recent discussions, which the GNC boycotted, there was no talk of amendments but of going ahead to discuss the annexes to the agreement that would choose the prime minister and his two deputies and other members of the Government of National Reconciliation(GNR). While other parties including the rival internationally-recognized government of the House of Representatives(HoR) have initialled the LPA, the GNC has not. The pro-HoR Libya Herald claims Leon, at the Istanbul meeting, did not persuade the GNC to support the LPA. It may be that the GNC will attend the upcoming talks in order to participate in choosing the key officials of the GNR, as is their right under the LPA. They may also want to ensure that CIA-linked Khalifa Haftar, present commander of the Libyan National Army of the HoR government, will not be commander of the armed forces of the new government. Under the LPA as it stands now, he would not serve this function, which is allocated to several senior members of the GNR. Haftar rejects the LPA at the same time as the HoR government accepts it. If the final agreement sidelines Haftar, he will probably ensure that it does not pass the HoR legislature. It surely should be clear that the HoR has little control over Haftar. He has made it clear and in public that he does not accept the LPA and so he is saying he does not accept what his government does. Yet there is not a word said against him by the government let alone an outcry that he be fired!
Haftar is named as being sanctioned by the EU because of his resistance to the peace process. Yet he manages to get pledges of military support from the Arab League and is strongly supported by Egypt. Recently he just concluded a military agreement with Jordan. Haftar signed an order to ban Iranians, Pakistanis, and Yemenis from areas under the HoR control. In June last year he signed an order that all Turks and Qataris leave Libya. This created havoc as Turkish engineers were working on a major construction project and Haftar had to relent. But surely it is a bit odd that it is the army commander rather than the government that is initiating such moves.
The GNC decided to participate just today one day before the planned meeting. GNC member. Mahmoud Abdelaziz said: “The GNC decided to participate in the dialogue sessions in Geneva. We are going to participate in a serious way.” He said the dialogue group was going in order that the changes they want in the draft deal be included in the final agreement. He said talks with Leon in Istanbul were positive and he had promised to discuss GNC concerns in a serious way including changes to the draft agreement. Leon hopes to have the agreement signed by September 20 and implemented by October 20 before the mandate of the HoR runs out. The GNA would govern for two years to end with elections. A new constitution is being drafted.
The HoR has already submitted 12 names for prime minister and one of two deputy ministers. The GNC is to submit names for the other deputy minister. Apparently, the HoR had wanted to submit only two but Leon insisted there be more choice. The other participants have to agree by consensus to those chosen. There is a Canadian connection in that one name is that of Olam Basir, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Leon continues to say absolutely nothing about the parallel military dialogue. For the political agreement to work the two main military forces, the Libya Dawn militia associated with the GNC and the Libyan National Army commanded by Haftar of the HoR, must sign on to the agreement and negotiate a cease fire. Neither of the two military forces accept the agreement. Haftar says that the Libya Dawn are terrorists and he will not negotiate with them or agree to a cease fire. Unless Haftar can be sidelined and the Libya Dawn convinced to accept the LPA, the political agreement will simply be unenforceable. Leon has said in the past that the military agreement is crucial yet he makes announcements about progress and sets deadlines for implementing the LPA . But the LPA not yet finalized. One of the two rival governments has never even agreed to the draft. Finally, the LPA has no chance of being implemented without a successful military dialogue even if it is eventually signed off by both the HoR and GNC.
