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Thank you Mr President.

Mr President, Id like to start by offering our thanks to the Prosecutor, Karim Khan, for his powerful briefing today on the occasion of his 22nd report on the situation in Libya. As this is the first time he is addressing this Council as the Prosecutor of the ICC, Id like to assure him of my countrys support for him as he carries out his important duties. The United Kingdom welcomes the Prosecutors report and his intention to visit Libya early next year. We urge the GNU to facilitate the visit and allow the ICC to investigate with independence in accordance with the Rome Statute and resolution 1970 of this Council. The United Kingdom is committed to providing our full support to the Prosecutors ongoing investigations in Libya, which are as important as ever at this crucial time in the political process.

We share the Prosecutors concern on the conclusions of the Independent Fact Finding Mission October 2021 Report. The report only serves to highlight the importance of the mission and to this end, the UK welcomes the renewal of the Independent Fact Finding Missions mandate. We call on the Libyan government to support the mission by facilitatingunrestricted andunfettered access throughout Libya.

We share the Prosecutors on the conclusions contained in the October 2021 report of the Independent Fact Finding Mission on Libya. The report only serves to highlight the importance of that mission and the UK welcomes the renewal of the Independent Fact Finding Missions mandate. We call on the Libyan government to support the mission by facilitating unrestricted and unfettered access throughout Libya. We urge the GNU to put an end to crimes committed in detention centres and investigate crimes committed at Mitiga Prison, and the Gernada detention facility. The GNU should also investigate and address violence against women and girls, including the fates of the female detainees at Al-Kuweifya detention centre that remain unknown.

The United Kingdom takes this opportunity to commend the efforts of the Joint Military Commission to develop an action plan for ensuring the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya. The UK has been clear that their withdrawal should happen without delay and the Action Plan represents a Libyan-led practical step forward towards their withdrawal. The UK draws attention to statements of the Office of the Prosecutor that crimes committed by those foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya potentially fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.

The United Kingdom is clear that civilians must be protected in conflict and that those responsible for violations of international law must be held to account. We are deeply concerned by the discovery of yet more graves in Tarhouna and encourage the GNU to continue its investigations, and take all possible actions to hold those responsible to account.

The UK has funded humanitarian assistance to provide psycho-social supportandaccess tohealthcare, and otherbasic servicesand assistanceformigrants, refugeesand asylum-seekers. The UK appreciates the cooperation that the Prosecutors office has been able to offer the national authorities in combating people smuggling and human trafficking.

We underline the importance of the process of national reconciliation and providing accountability and justice for atrocity crimes, and we encourage the GNU to work with the Office of the Prosecutor to achieve these goals. We reiterate our call for all relevant states, including both states parties to the Rome Statute and states that are not party to it, to cooperate with the ICC in the arrest and surrender of individuals subject to arrest warrants.The UK fully supports the Prosecutors important investigation into the Libya situation that was mandated by this Council and we will continue to work with his Office and with international partners to close the impunity gap for atrocity crimes in Libya and achieve justice for the people of Libya.

Excerpt from:
Closing the impunity gap for atrocity crimes in Libya - GOV.UK

It has been a decade since one of the largest mass expressions of frustration, the Arab Spring, rocked foundations across the Middle East and North Africa. In the decade since, the path forward has not always been direct or clear.

I had the privilege of leading Tunisia as prime minister for more than three years. It was a challenging but rewarding time. In my efforts to help build a sustainable democracy in Tunisia, I knew that reliable neighbors were essential. I was particularly concerned about the state of Libya, our neighbor. I knew then, and I feel even more strongly now, that a stable and prosperous Libya is important for the Libyan people and the broader region.

Following the 2011 revolution and for far too long, Libya has been used as a tool for destabilization and a breeding ground for radical ideologues pushing division, violence and terrorism. The trade routes that once benefited both our countries were essentially cut off. Sadly, aspirations for democratic self-determination in Libya were stymied or squashed against the wishes of the people, fueling a cycle of hopelessness, distrust and apathy.

Today, only a stable, prosperous and democratic Libya can help to counter this trend of despair and instead inspire hope. A new future is within reach in Libya following U.N.-sponsored talks in Geneva. Democratic elections are set for Dec. 24. These elections must proceed and must succeed. And for that I believe that there's an urgent need to focus on the Libyan national reconciliation and the quest of consensus within the Libyan political class before the election. This will help to avoid having the election be contested or not recognized. The ultimate goal is to create a true democracy in Libya and not a democracy by name onlywhich provides nothinga part constitutional deadlock. Democracy needs content to survive and evolve.

As a chief of government, I worked hard to facilitate mobility between the two countries. Millions of people used to cross the borders and trade between Tunisia and Libya was flourishing. Nowadays and following the COVID-19 outbreak, the borders with Libya's neighbors, including Tunisia, are beginning to reopen. What's more, regional cooperation is beginning again. Recently, the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission held a meeting in Egypt for the U.N. mission and representatives of Libyan neighbors including Sudan, Chad and Niger to discuss the process of removing foreign fighters from Libyan territories. This is significant. It is clear that Libya, and the region, is focused on creating conditions that favor peace and stability.

A democratic Libya would benefit all its neighbors, from those who share its borders to those across the Mediterranean. Libya's close proximity to Spain, France, Italy and Greece provides an opportunity to reset immigration trends, with a focus on legal, safe and ethical treatment and processing of migrants. Only through a stable and prosperous Libya will there be enough resources and political will to meet this moment. Not only will a stable Libya protect the rights of migrants, but it will also help reduce the elevated level of immigration from North Africa, as Libya becomes an increasingly desirable place to live and work.

There is no denying that climate change is upon us, and the constraints from extreme weather events are only growing. Libya is in a unique position, one where we can capitalize on old forms of energy production while investing heavily in new renewable forms of production. With incredible potential for solar and wind power generation, Libya is poised to be a valued energy partner to Europe, especially as it has to deal with an increasingly untrustworthy supplier to the European Union's east. Libya has the capabilities to address both short-term needs while advancing future forms of energy productionbut that can only be unlocked by a democratic reunification of Libya. Without a democratic republic, accountability is unlikely, and Libya's economic engines will continue to only serve a minority.

The message a democratic Libya would send to the world's oppressed people cannot be overstated. It would lift up the voiceless, empower the people and show an alternative to violencecreating the environment to de-radicalize individuals and inspire others throughout the region to build their own democratic state. Through unlocking the aspirations of the people, Libya, and in time the region, will build a new age of prosperity and engagement.

Finally, a stable Libya provides a buttress against foreign influence in the region. Some countries see their foreign policy best served by keeping countries in the Middle East and North Africa weak, fractious and easily influencedbut these conditions are not advantageous to any other good-faith actor in the region. Building regional resilience is vitally necessary to prevent these influences from growing.

As I said when I was prime minister, when democracy flourishes in Libya, so too will stability, transparency and accountability throughout the region. With a stable economy and a strengthened private sector, Libya will be able to engage on equal footing with European and African partners like Tunisia, set an example to others in the region and build hope for the future. A stable Libya will have the capability to not only defend but advance human rights, build prosperity and be an engine for positive development across the region well into the future. That's why Libya's stability is about more than Libya.

Youssef Chahed is the former prime minister of Tunisia.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

See the original post:
Libya's Stability is About More Than Libya | Opinion - Newsweek

The enhancing ties and cooperation between Turkey and Libya will overpower the conspiracies of France in the Eastern Mediterranean, the head of Libya's High Council of State said.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to Istanbul over the weekend, High Council Chairperson Khalid al-Mishri said that the relations between Turkey and Libya have a historical background, and the relations have grown stronger in economic, military and political terms.

He reiterated that Turkey was the first and only country to react when the legitimate government in Tripoli was attacked by the leader of the illegitimate forces in eastern Libya, putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar, on April 4, 2019.

Pointing out that Greece, Egypt and Israel acted together to exclude Turkey from the sources in the Mediterranean, al-Mishri said: "Turkey and Libya have protected Turkey's rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean by signing the Agreement on the Limitation of Maritime Jurisdiction in the Mediterranean. The steps taken to prevent Turkey from using energy resources despite having rights in the region were also eliminated with this agreement. Libya and Turkey are aware of France's plot in the Eastern Mediterranean. France will not succeed, because Libya will strengthen its relations with Ankara much more."

Stating that countries such as the United States and France provided military and weapon support to Haftar and opposed Turkey's presence there, al-Mishri said that Turkey continues to support the Tripoli government despite everything, and that this support led to Haftar's defeat in Tripoli.

"Turkey's presence in Libya completely complied with international law because the government of Tripoli made calls to many countries and only Turkey responded. All these parties, except Turkish forces, came through unofficial and illegitimate means. Turkey came overtly. The presence of Turkish soldiers was completely in accordance with the international agreements. The Turkish military was also only for training and support purposes."

Turkey on Saturday rebuffed French President Emmanuel Macron's call on foreign powers to remove their forces from Libya as part of efforts to turn the page on a decade of strife, underlining that the Turkish military presence there is to help the Libyan army train.

The North African country has been mired in civil war since the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 uprising. The bloodshed has drawn in competing Libyan factions and extremist groups as well as foreign powers.

According to a deal with the legitimate government in Libya, Turkey sent troops to shore up the United Nations-recognized government in Tripoli, while Russia and other countries including France supported the eastern-based illegitimate forces led by Haftar.

Macron told an international conference on Libya in Paris on Friday that "Russia and Turkey must withdraw their mercenaries without delay."

France itself has faced accusations of backing Haftar but has always insisted it has been fully objective in the conflict.

Despite French weapons being found on a base used by pro-Haftar forces in 2019, Paris has rejected the claims.

Turkey sent only a low-level delegation to Paris as a sign of continued displeasure with Macron's foreign policy stance.

Security sources in Ankara have several times pointed out that Turkish forces cannot be classified as foreign fighters, unlike Russias Wagner mercenary group, as Turkish soldiers are in the country upon an official invitation by the Libyan government.

In April 2019, Libyas Haftar and his forces, backed by Egypt, Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched an offensive to try and capture the capital, Tripoli. His 14-month campaign collapsed, and the fall of Tripoli was prevented after Turkey stepped up its military support of the United Nations-backed government.

Al-Mishri also said that next month's elections might be postponed by three months, citing disagreements over electoral laws as the main reason that could possibly cause the delay.

Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on Dec. 24 under a U.N.-sponsored agreement reached by Libyan political rivals during meetings in Tunisia on Nov. 15, 2020.

The oil-rich country's electoral commission on Nov. 8 opened registration for candidates in the polls. Tensions, however, have been ongoing between parliament, the High Council of State and the unity government regarding electoral powers and laws.

Al-Mishri said the High Council of State "will not resort to force to prevent the organization of elections" but called for a boycott of the vote.

"If the turnout is zero in a number of electoral districts, this makes them legally void," he noted.

He also said the body he heads has submitted appeals to the Supreme Court to adjudicate the decisions of the High Elections Commission, noting that the court "has the authority to consider appeals related to the decisions of the High Elections Commission."

Stating that the Supreme Council wants to hold a legal election in Libya, al-Mishri pointed out that France and Egypt are trying to intervene.

Stating that they will not accept an election position that the U.S. and other countries try to dictate to them, al-Mishri said: "Turkey and Italy do not favor and do not support an erroneous election in Libya. Because they think that an election made with faulty laws will cause the country to be divided, dragged into a new war, and they support us in this regard.

Al-Mishri stressed that if the presidential and parliamentary elections are held in a fair environment, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah will gain a majority.

Al-Mishri's remarks come as European powers on Friday at an international conference in Paris threatened sanctions against those obstructing or undermining the political transition in Libya.

Dbeibah said at a news conference of the meeting that participants in the international conference for Libya agreed to sanction those who refuse to accept the results of the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

Dbeibah said the conference managed to "reaffirm extremely important points that can pave the way for the organization of elections."

On the other hand, there are serious steps being taken in Libya toward compromise over an election planned for December as part of a peace process, the country's Presidential Council President Mohammad Younes Menfi told Reuters.

"We must be optimistic and think that the elections will be on time with the agreement of Libyans," he said in an interview.

"Now there are serious steps to make a consensus to hold the election on time on Dec. 24," he added, without giving any details.

Disputes over the schedule and rules for Libya's election, including over who should be allowed to run, threaten to derail a U.N.-backed peace process that is seen as the best hope in years to end a decade of chaos.

Menfi was in Paris for Friday's international conference on Libya, at which world powers agreed to consider sanctions for anybody who disrupts the election but made no move to bring its rival factions together to agree on rules for the vote.

The vote was called through a U.N.-backed road map that demanded simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 24. However, a law issued by Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh pushed the parliamentary vote to a later date.

Heightening the stakes at play, some of the most prominent candidates are highly controversial figures such as Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, who announced his candidacy on Sunday. Gadhafi was sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in 2015 for war crimes and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Question marks also hang over other likely candidates, including eastern commander Haftar, whom western factions accuse of war crimes, which he denies, and interim prime minister Dbeibah who had vowed not to run.

"We are trying as much as possible to end this process in a democratic, transparent and acceptable way for all Libyans on Dec. 24 so that power is handed over to an elected authority," Menfi said.

He said there should be no disputes over candidates who meet the requirements of electoral laws once they have been agreed upon.

"We are not worried about the participation of any Libyan if they meet the conditions of the electoral laws," he said.

Libya's Presidency Council on Sunday also called for holding the parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously.

In a statement, the council called for taking all measures to ensure a "comprehensive elections process" with a view to building confidence among the parties and ensuring "transparency and fairness of the polls."

The statement also underlined the importance of international efforts to secure and monitor the electoral process.

More:
Growing Turkey-Libya ties will counter East Med plots: Al-Mishri | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

The U.N.-brokered process in Libya focused on the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and parliamentary and presidential elections in December 2021 remains fragile. Still, the High National Elections Committee said that nominations for the presidency would start in November with voting cards distributed within weeks. Much is uncertain, including the powers of the presidency. Aside from token moves, those who remain include mercenaries brought in by Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and others to support General Haftars eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and those brought in by Turkey, the main supporter of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. Reconciliation appears far off but therehas at least been a respite of over a year from fighting.

These developments must have been welcomed by the over 600,000 migrants in Libya, a destination and transit country for migrants hit hard by the conflict and worsened economic conditions exacerbated by the pandemic.But the situation appears to be worsening for those seeking asylum in Europe through the Mediterranean, and especially sub-Saharan Africans who the U.N. says are uniquely vulnerable, pointing to racism. Many are brutally detained in centers managed by the GNAs Department for Combating Illegal Immigration (DCIM) and secured by militias. Often it is Frontex, the EU border and coast guard agency, who guides the Libyan Coast Guard in illegallypushing back and detaining those seeking asylum in Europe. That cooperation increased after Italy signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017 with the GNA in Tripoli. Conditions in detention centers were already well known; German diplomats compared them to concentration camps.

A recent Amnesty International report speaks of the hellscape of detention. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) withdrew from two official government detention centersbecause of violence and inhumane treatment last June. Yet, despite the Geneva Convention and EU legislation prohibiting returning asylum-seekers to unsafe territories and a European Court of Human Rights ruling citing torture and death in Libya, the practice continues.

On October 1, 2021, Ministry of Interior militias ostensibly moved against drug and human traffickers. No such arrests were announced, but over 5,000 migrants, including 540 womensome pregnantand 215 children were violently detained. According to MSF, Entire families of migrants and refugees have been captured, handcuffed and transported to detentions centers people have been hurt and even killed; families split up, homes reduced to piles of rubble.

Taken to miserably overcrowded detention centers in Tripoli already holding 7,000 people, they face extreme physical violence, including sexual violence and torture. There have been numerous attempts at escape with many shot dead, others rearrested to return to brutal detention and starvation rations. The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which had assisted and registered most of the detained closed its day center in Tripoli when hundreds overwhelmed the facility asking for protection.

Why was the operation mounted? The answer likely lies in a cruel if lucrative business model around migrant exploitation in parts of Libya, with aspects of it increasingly in other Maghreb countries, even victimizing vulnerable locals. The Clingendael Institute says it is now more profitable to detain and further exploit migrants than get them to Europe. Detainees are beaten, tortured, and starved to get funds from their families and friends. They are subject to forced labor and forced prostitution, many are enslaved and sold, often from detention centers. In an October 2021 report by its Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya, the U.N. noted the commission of crimes against humanity, including in its section on migrants. Furthermore, EU border protection at any cost and pandemic closures mean that routes used by human smugglers and those for drugs, guns, and human trafficking now overlap, further endangering migrants.

The timing of the operation may lie in the pandemics impact on the economy and migration patterns in sub-Saharan Africa. A World Bank phone survey in 41 countries of the region underlined that the pandemic has seriously hurt livelihoods, food security, and human capital. Many, especially women, have lost employment, mostly in cities and towns. Closures and mobility restrictions have hurt all. Agricultural income too has declined as markets closed and prices fell. Tellingly, remittances from migrants proved surprisingly resilient and, excluding Nigeria, increased by 2.3 percent in 2020 with a 2.6 percentincrease expected in 2021.

The Mixed Migration Center sees the pandemic as a threat-multiplier, compounding existing risks and vulnerabilities for refugees and migrants. While COVID-19 may have increased the desire to migrate, it also brought decreasing resources to do so and additional fears. Thus, sea departures to Europe of sub-Saharan Africans declined even as sea departures of North Africans increased. With the flow of sub-Saharan Africans diminishedthe main victims of the detention centers and enslavementthe thousands detained in Gargaresh will allow militias to extort more funds, forced labor, and forced prostitution. For many, this would not be the first time they had to pay their way out. According to the U.N., some migrants have endured this horrific loop over 10 times.

Aside from the over 12,000 detainees, thousands of migrants remain in hiding and 4,000 are encamped at the UNHCR center, desperately seeking evacuation. One Gambia-bound evacuation flight was allowed, after a suspension of flights by the Ministry of Interior in August. Yet the EU continues to cooperate with the Libyan Coast Guard and other government agencies, having sent $455 million since 2015. And while investigations into the role of Frontex have been launched by the EU parliament, the European Ombudsman, the European Court of Auditors and other agencies, little has changed. The impunity with which Frontex and EU border and coast guard national agencies operate continues undiminished. EU agreements and legislation on human rights, including the right to apply for asylum are breached daily, including violent pushbacks along the Aegean route to Greece from Turkey and in the Balkans.

Amnesty International noted in July 2021,Violations documented against refugees and migrants are not an accident but rather the clear and anticipated outcomes of an EU-supported system of interception, disembarkation and return to detention centers notorious for abuse, built with the aim of keeping refugees and migrants out of Europe at all costs.Yet, in a political environment in which Frances far right leader, Le Pen, is being outflanked on her right by a Trump-inspired outsider, Eric Zemmour, and even Denmarks social democrats articulate a vision of a country with no asylum-seekers, the growth and persistence of anti-immigrant policies comes as no surprise.

Yet over the past year, there have been growing countervailing voices and actions. It was two 2020 investigative articles by a consortium of newspapers and the investigative media organizations Bellingcat and Lighthouse Reports on Libya and the Aegean route that prompted EUs Frontex probes. Furthermore, on May 25, 2021, three NGOs, Front-Lex, the Progress lawyers Network, and the Greek Helsinki Monitor, took Frontex to the European Court of Justice. In a first, on January 2021 Frontex ceased operations in Hungary after the European Court of Justice ruled that Budapest violated EU rules when it pushed back asylum-seekers to Serbia. Currently, Matteo Salvini, former interior minister and head of Italys right-wing League party, is in court on kidnapping charges for his 2019 denial of entry to a ship carrying migrants and asylum-seekers abandoned at sea. These are harbingers of hopefully a more humane approach to dealing with the reality of migration. All the EU has to do is follow its own values, laws, and regulations and insist on meaningful sanctions on its Libyan counterparts; and cease assisting lawless groups.

Link:
Libyas migrants and crimes against humanity - Brookings Institution

Libya faces several obstacles ahead of the elections in December as the attitudes and actions of some international actors contribute to the country's instability.

Libya has been struggling for the past 10 years with the dream of holding a free and fair election leading to the formation of a democratic government.

After 42 years of dictatorship, the dream of a democratic setup in the war-ravaged country has been elusive due to a number of factors including a decade-long internal conflict and foreign intervention.

Over the past decade the country has experienced war crimes committed by elements supported by countries like France, Egypt the UAE and Russia.

The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) took place in the first weeks of 2021 to form a transitional government that will take Libya to elections on December 24.

One can argue that this development might not have been possible had Turkey not extended its support to the UN-backed Government of National Accord against warlord Khalifa Haftars attacks on Tripoli.

Now, the question is, whether it is actually possible for elections to take place leading to the formation of a democratic administration in Libya while there are so many international and local actors with competing agendas.

At first, the overwhelming majority of people had high hopes for a successful election, but now with only seven weeks until the vote, experts no longer seem certain.

Talking to TRT World, Abdulkader Assad, the chief editor of The Libya Observer and Libya Alahrar English, says Libya is in a very tight position.

There is relative stability but everyone is on tenterhooks about the holding of the elections because, without the vote, war and division could make a return, Assad tells.

Uncertainty on rise

Another expert, Sami Hamdi who is the Managing Director of the International Interest, a global risk and intelligence company, says the atmosphere is uncertain.

It is clear that the international community is insistent on elections taking place, and are impressing upon the parties that they will not tolerate spoilers. This is why we are seeing more and more candidates declaring their candidacy. Yet, the issue has never been elections. Rather, it is what happens after the elections and whether the losers will accept the results or go to war to overturn them, Hamdi tells TRT World.

In the last few weeks, several presidential candidates have stepped in to announce their candidacies. However, experts also believe that the announcements made by the same faces is one of the biggest challenges to free elections.

Libya is supposed to be heading toward a new democratic phase, where the people get to choose a president, a very important transition after 10 years of fragmentation, yet the list of candidates includes former ministers and officials, some war criminals like Khalifa Haftar and his backers and some foreign-agenda-driven persons like Aref Al-Nayed, UAE's man in Libya, Assad said.

According to Hamdi, the elections would be a game-changer for political dynamics in Libya.

Washington is particularly keen to see them succeed this time irrespective of the results. This sentiment appears to be shared by Libyas political actors who are choosing to run individually as opposed to under a coalition that might preserve the interests of their respective camps."

"Aguila Saleh is competing with Haftar. Dbeibah is expected to compete with Bashagha. Each of these candidates believes that the elections will offer a unique power and legitimacy superior to that provided by their respective camps, Hamdi told TRT World.

On Monday, Head of the Libyan High Council of State Khalid Al-Mishri said there are some countries that don't want stability in Libya and are creating obstacles by issuing inapplicable laws or laws that can't bring acceptable results.

"The election laws on the table now weren't issued by the House of Representatives alone, rather they were devised in Cairo, and Paris under the supervision of Abu Dhabi, in addition to the malign efforts of UNSMIL," he said.

Al-Mishri also claimed that even some of The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) employees are working in violation of Security Council resolutions, despite the envoy's efforts to commit to them.

Some UNSMIL employees are working as informants for foreign intelligence services and are trying to send a message that the High Council of State and House of Representatives won't reach consensus and thus UNSMIL should back the latter's legislations, which were written in foreign capitals," Al Mishri added.

Conference on Libya

Commenting on Frances recent attempt to organise a conference on Libya ahead of elections, Assad believes that Paris has felt left out lately with the GNU becoming closer to the US and breaking away from European stakeholders like France and Italy, regarding politics.

Paris is so hopeful that holding an international conference, in the presence of Libya, would shift attention back to its role as a major stakeholder in the settlement process, Assad said.

On the other hand, Hamdi believes France is keen to remain relevant in any foreign policy debate, particularly in North Africa.

The conference is primarily a show of force that Paris is still relevant, still influential and major power. The GNU is refusing to participate because it sees the conference as a means of legitimising Haftar who plans to run for the presidency, Hamdi added.

Expressing his pessimism, Assad tells TRT World that Russia, the UAE, France and Egypt will try their best to impede elections and create hindrances before December 24.

They are already working with Haftar and HoR Speaker, Aguila Saleh in the east to create some kind of political split and anti-western region sentiment, Assad said.

If their efforts dont pay off and elections are held on time, the most obvious move is that they, particularly the UAE, will not accept anyone from outside their camp to be elected. They might also attempt to use conflict and division rhetoric to create chaos and keep Libya away from democracy as long as possible, he added.

Source: TRT World

Read more from the original source:
Free elections or war? What the future holds for Libya - TRT World