Fighters from the Libya Dawn militia alliance stand on a tank close to the Wetia military air base during clashes with forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government on April 28, 2015. Mahmud Turkia/AFP Photo
Fighters from the Libya Dawn militia alliance stand on a tank close to the Wetia military air base during clashes with forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government on April 28, 2015. Show more

Libya peace plan faces immediate rejection from rival government



PARIS // The long-awaited United Nations peace plan for Libya has been immediately rejected by one of the country’s two warring governments, leaving eight months of work in possible tatters.

Just hours after it was released, Libya’s General National Congress – which controls the capital Tripoli – turned down the draft plan, saying that it hands all power to the rival House of Representatives based in Tobruk.

The Tobruk assembly is recognised by the international community as Libya’s legitimate government and is at war with the GNC and its allied conservative militias.

GNC deputy president Saleh Makhzoum said on Tuesday that the road map, released the same day, does not meet the “aspirations of the revolutionary fighters”, including the Libya Dawn militia alliance which holds Tripoli.

Designed to persuade both sides to stop fighting and work together, the 16-page plan calls for the formation of a “government of national accord” that would have its headquarters in the capital.

UN special representative Bernadino Leon, who crafted the plan, insists that it represents “a fair and reasonable political agreement that addresses the concerns of all parties”.

He says the draft is “80 per cent agreed”.

The plan outlines a raft of councils and consultative bodies that would work in complex patterns with the regular organs of government.

But stripped of its aspirational rhetoric, Mr Leon’s draft gives a place for the House of Representatives, but none for the GNC.

The plan envisages Libya being led by a five-person strong “presidency council” – effectively an inner cabinet – made up of a prime minister, two deputies and two ministers.

Power to hire and fire this council would rest with the House of Representatives, which would remain as the country’s legislature and recognised government. It would also have power to appoint the chief of the armed forces.

The GNC, by contrast, receives no mention in the plan. Its members can expect to be included in a new state council, but that council’s role would be purely consultative.

A potential deal-breaker in any agreement is the demand that militias vacate the cities, to be replaced by regular police and army units. That army is now led by General Khalifa Haftar, one of Libya’s most polarising figures.

To his supporters, Gen Haftar, a former Qaddafi-era general who turned against the dictator and fought with the rebels in the 2011 rebellion, is a hero. He has strengthened the army which has recaptured most of Benghazi from rival militants and is now battling towards Tripoli. The GNC, meanwhile, has labelled him a terrorist.

However, with both governments insisting that they are the rightful body to run Libya, it may be impossible to craft a peace plan that keeps both sides happy.

While the Tobruk-based government says it represents the majority and was freely elected, the GNC says the supreme court ruled last year that elections to the House of Representatives were invalid.

The House of Representatives itself has yet to meet in Tobruk to discuss Mr Leon’s plan, but one insider said that members would probably be happy with its provisions, though sceptical that Libya Dawn militias would disarm – a key part of the draft.

Mr Leon warned earlier this month that the current mediation process will be the “final” one, after months of failed peace talks held in Libya, Switzerland, Belgium, Algeria and, most recently, Morocco. It is unclear what will happen if this plan continues to be rejected by one or both sides, but if the UN walks away from the process, Libya’s civil war seems set to continue.

Pressure for a peace deal has become acute. ISIL is expanding in Libya, while the mass drownings of hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean has seen the European Union considering military strikes against Libyan migrant smugglers.

Among diplomats and many Libyans, the feeling is shared that both the ISIL and migration problems can only be solved if Libya’s civil war is ended. But on the evidence of the current UN peace plan, that is unlikely to happen in the immediate future.

foreign.desk@thenational.ae

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Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
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Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
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THE DETAILS

Kaala

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Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

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Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Torque: 605Nm
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Saturday

Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0

Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2

Leicester City 3 Fulham 1

Newcastle United 3 Everton 2

Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Manchester City 3 Watford 1

Sunday

Liverpool 4 Burnley 2

Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0

 

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if you go

The flights 

Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning. 

The trains

Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.

The hotels

Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.