The African Union has called on Libyan factions to attend a national reconciliation conference scheduled to take place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in mid-October.
Jean-Claude Gakosso, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo, whose country chairs the High-Level Committee on Libya within the African Union, along with the accompanying official delegation from the African Union, delivered direct invitations from the Committee’s leadership and the African Union Commission to the Libyan Presidential Council, the House of Representatives, the General Command of the Army, and the political team of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. He emphasized the importance of the participation of key political actors, social and cultural forces, and field leaders in the Addis Ababa conference, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement that paves the way for a political solution and the reunification of state institutions without excluding any party.
Libyan sources indicate that the African Union successfully overcame obstacles that had previously led to the postponement of the national reconciliation conference, initially scheduled for late April in the city of Sirte. These efforts included convincing the General Command of the Army and presidential candidate Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s team to return to the negotiation table after they had decided to boycott the preparatory sessions.
In May, the UN Mission and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights held a workshop in Tunisia with 22 legislators, legal experts, and civil society actors to work on a draft of the Libyan National Reconciliation Law.
Minister Gakosso affirmed that the solution in Libya lies in the reconciliation of its people and bringing them together. Therefore, a proposal was made by the President of the African Union, the head of the High-Level Committee, and the Chairman of the Commission to invite the parties involved in the conflict to Addis Ababa for a meeting to sign the National Reconciliation Charter, in addition to a Transitional Justice Document and a Necessary Compensation Document. He noted that this proposal would not face opposition from the Libyan parties, as all the main factions contacted expressed their full readiness to engage in this African Union-led initiative.
Aguila Saleh, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, expressed his full support for efforts to achieve national reconciliation, emphasizing the important role of the African Union in achieving stability and reconciliation in Libya. This sentiment was echoed by the General Commander of the Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who stressed that national reconciliation is a fundamental step toward achieving lasting stability and peaceful coexistence among the various components of the Libyan people.
Al-Bayan has learned that the Addis Ababa conference on national reconciliation in Libya will be attended by the President of the African Union, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Sheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, as well as the UN Secretary-General, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, and representatives from Libya’s neighboring countries.
