Delegations from Libya’s High Council of State and the Libyan House of Representatives, the two legislative bodies that have been competing for power in Libya, are set to hold a coordination meeting this afternoon in Morocco, ahead of a historic meeting in Ghadames.
Today’s meeting is set to take place at the Hilton Tangier Al Houara hotel and resort, in northern Morocco, a source close to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Morocco World News.
The meeting comes ahead of the Ghadames “reconciliation session” that will seek to “end the division within Libya’s legislative bodies and allow them to perform their duties to the fullest.”
The upcoming meeting in Ghadames, near Libya’s borders with Tunisia and Algeria, is expected to mark an important milestone towards resolving the Libyan political crisis.
The Libyan House of Representatives announced its willingness to take part in the “reconciliation session” with the Libyan High Council of State after an internal consultative meeting in Tangier.
The meeting, which took place in Morocco from November 23-28, led Libya’s House of Representatives to overcome its internal disagreements and invite the rival High Council of State to reconcile.
Today’s meeting is an indicator that the Libyan High Council of State has positively reacted to the invitation and is equally ready to engage in a fruitful dialogue.
Libya’s House of Representatives, based in Tobruk, northeastern Libya, and the High Council of State, headquartered in Tripoli, northwestern Libya, have been in conflict for several years, causing a political deadlock in the war-torn country.
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Recent meetings in Morocco, however, have brought the rival parliaments closer than ever to resolving their dispute.
Between September and November, Morocco hosted three sessions of Inter-Libyan Dialogue in Bouznika, near Rabat. The meetings led to “important understandings,” notably agreements on the criteria and mechanisms for appointments to sovereign leadership positions.
During the recent consultative session in Tangier, the Libyan House of Representatives promised to work towards ending the state of division and conflict in all Libyan institutions in order to maintain national unity and sovereignty.
Libyan deputies expressed their hope that the Ghadames meeting, set to take place “as soon as they return to Libya,” will help write a new page in the country’s history.
The Libyan House of Representatives pledged to participate in the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections and respect their legitimacy. The elections are expected to take place on December 24, Libya’s Independence Day.
While the agenda of today’s consultative meeting in Tangier is yet undisclosed, it is highly likely that the Libyan House of Representatives and High Council of State will discuss the details of the upcoming session in Ghadames.
