Inter-Libyan Dialogue: International Praise for Morocco’s Role

Regional and international organizations, the diplomatic corps of several countries and numerous media outlets have unanimously praised the role played by Morocco in bringing the inter-Libyan dialogue to a successful conclusion, within the framework of the “6+6” Joint Commission, commending the Kingdom’s active commitment to a political transition in this country through the electoral process. At the United Nations, the Secretary-General’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, expressed the UN’s thanks to Morocco for its facilitation efforts to reach compromises on the electoral laws between the Libyan parties meeting in Bouznika. “We thank Morocco for facilitating the efforts” of the members of the “6+6” Joint Commission, tasked by the Libyan House of Representatives and Council of State with preparing the electoral laws, stressed the spokesman, at his daily press briefing in New York. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) also thanked Morocco for hosting the “6+6” Libyan Joint Commission meeting in Bouznika (from May 22 to June 6), which reached a compromise on the laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the year. In a statement, the Mission expressed its appreciation of the efforts made by the 6+6 Commission, while thanking Morocco for hosting it. In a similar vein, the African Union (AU) congratulated Morocco. “I congratulate the Kingdom of Morocco on its facilitation”, tweeted AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat. The Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Abou El Gheit, also praised Morocco’s efforts, hoping they would “encourage the Libyan parties, following the compromises announced, to overcome the obstacles hindering the final signing of the agreement in the coming days”. Similarly, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) lauded the role played by the Kingdom in achieving these compromises. The same satisfaction was expressed by the General Secretariat of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), which praised Morocco’s efforts on behalf of the Libyan brothers, as well as the approach adopted by the Kingdom to provide them with the appropriate space for dialogue and consultation “far from any foreign pressure”. The Ministerial Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) welcomed the compromise reached by the “6+6” Joint Commission at its meetings in Morocco on the laws governing the election of the Head of State and members of Parliament, calling it a “positive and constructive” step towards the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections in the country. Several diplomatic representations accredited to Morocco also praised Morocco’s commitment. In tweets, the British and Irish embassies welcomed the Kingdom’s hosting of the “6+6” Joint Commission. They also commended the role played by Moroccan diplomacy in reaching a compromise on this issue. For its part, the Croatian embassy welcomed Morocco’s efforts to ensure the success of the “6+6” Joint Commission dialogue and reach a compromise, with a view to a political settlement to the Libyan crisis, underlining “the Kingdom’s strong and positive commitment to a peaceful political transition in Libya, through the electoral process”. Switzerland and the Netherlands also hailed Morocco’s “very positive” commitment to the peaceful political transition in Libya, in tweets posted by the two countries’ embassies in Rabat. Saudi Arabia lauded “the efforts of the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco to make the dialogue succeed and reach a compromise, with a view to achieving a political settlement in Libya”. The statement was issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Iraq highly commended the role played by Morocco in bringing about successful dialogue and compromise on the electoral law in Libya, while offering political parties the opportunity to play a major role in the electoral process. The Mauritanian government, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hailed the “great efforts made by the Kingdom to reconcile the views of the various Libyan parties in order to reach this important agreement, which paves the way for the establishment of the necessary conditions for the completion of the Libyan electoral process in the best possible conditions and in a consensual and participatory manner”. In a statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt also praised the efforts of the “6+6” Joint Commission, hailing the Kingdom’s hosting of the commission’s proceedings. In a similar statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs commended “the efforts of the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco to make the dialogue a success and reach important compromises aimed at achieving a political settlement in Libya”. Kuwait also praised the efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco after hosting the “6+6” Joint Commission meeting in Bouznika. Jordan welcomed the role played by the Kingdom of Morocco in the success of the dialogue and compromise between the Libyan parties regarding the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections. The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the agreement reached in the Moroccan city of Bouznika by the members of the “6+6” Joint Commission tasked by the Libyan House of Representatives and High Council of State on the laws governing presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya. The same was true for Yemen, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the compromises reached by the “6+6” Joint Commission at the end of two weeks of meetings in Morocco, concerning the laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the year. The Kingdom of Bahrain also commended Morocco’s diplomatic efforts to reach a major consensus among the members of the “6+6” Joint Commission, tasked by the Libyan House of Representatives and Council of State with drafting laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the current year, after around two weeks of meetings in Bouznika. On Sunday, the State of Qatar, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed its gratitude to Morocco for its support for dialogue and consultation between the Libyan parties, and for the Kingdom’s efforts in hosting the talks. In addition, several international media highlighted the importance of Morocco’s role in the Libyan dialogue. These included the Italian media, which described this step as “crucial” in the process of resolving the Libyan crisis, and the Argentine news agency Aternative Press Agency, which, in an analysis by Argentine political scientist Adalberto Agozina, praised the Kingdom’s tireless efforts. On Tuesday night, the “6+6” Joint Commission announced that after two weeks of meetings in Morocco, its members had reached a compromise on the laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the year. The Bouznika meeting is a continuation of the series of meetings hosted by the Kingdom, bringing together the various Libyan parties with a view to deepening dialogue on ways and means of resolving the crisis in the country, following an approach that provides the right platform for constructive dialogue and consultation.