After failing to convince the Tripoli-based GNC delegation to attend yet another dialogue round of talks in Morocco in late August, Leon found himself compelled to request a meeting with a larger group of the GNC parliamentarians in Istanbul ahead of the Geneva round. The Istanbul meeting discussed ways to include the GNC’s amendments in the draft political agreement, and not only in the annexes as Leon and the Tobruk-based MPs had offered until now. The revamped delegation of the GNC that was dispatched to the Geneva talks included Abderahman Swihli, leader of the Unity for Homeland party and a figure close to a very influential Misrata armed group. The message to Leon was clear. Leon has been attempting for few months now to undermine the position of the GNC, by trying to cause a split among the Misrata groups that are one of the strongest allies of the GNC. Nouri Bousahmin, Speaker of the GNC, sent a strongly-worded letter to Leon in which he denounced UNSMIL’s repeated attempts to bypass the GNC and its dialogue delegation in order to seek meetings directly with leaders of armed groups or local councils in the west of Libya. Back in Tripoli, the delegation announced that discussions in Geneva were constructive and that Leon had shown readiness to include the amendment’s in the body of the draft agreement text rather than the annexes. Leon is in a race against the clock as the deadline set to form a unity government is 20 September, which would leave just a month before the mandate of the Tobruk-House of Representative ends on 20 October. In Tripoli, there is already talk of a post-Leon phase with media reports of the possible replacement of Leon by a German ambassador. Some analyst think that Leon has wasted time since he was appointed UN envoy, a year ago, by ignoring the GNC, and it is only in the last few months that he has started to recognise that the GNC is essential in any political agreement. In a related development, Ali Tarhouni, head of the Constitution Drafting Assembly, said in Tunis last week that the draft constitution is about to be finalised and would be ready for referendum if a unity government is formed on 20 October.

Links for more information:
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/politics/2015/9/3/libya-slips-further-into-chaos-as-impasse-drags-on
https://www.facebook.com/616282578414521/videos/vb.616282578414521/976785335697575/
http://unsmil.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3543&ctl=Details&mid=6187&ItemID=2099229
http://www.marsad.ly/en/draft-constitution-to-be-ready-by-20-october-tarhouni/
http://www.marsad.ly/en/abu-sahmain-reacts-to-leons-meetings-with-army-officers/

Posted by Editor