The Arab League Special Envoy to Libya, Salaheddine Jamali, said he was optimistic about the improvement of the situation in the African country, noting that disagreements between the bickering parties were not fundamental.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Jamali accused the West of toppling the Libyan State instead of overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
“The West exploited the Libyan revolution and changed its course. Instead of overthrowing the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, it toppled the state and created a vacuum in the dismantling of the security and military apparatuses,” Jamali said.
He continued: “[The West] is now looking for a solution there by achieving its economic and strategic interests in light of the rush to rebuild Libya. From this point of view, I call upon the Libyans to heed the danger of such attempts.”
Jamali said that Arab performance towards the Libyan file was not convincing in the early years of the crisis, because a number of Arab countries were witnessing political throes due to the so-called “Arab Spring”.
“But I believe that the Arab position today is better towards this crisis, and it can be developed and activated to help the Libyan brothers, who still trust the Arab role in the face of growing foreign ambitions and blatant interference in the affairs of their country,” he stated.
Jamali emphasized that the Libyan file was among the top priorities of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit in his European tours and African and Arab summits.
Asked about the parties that are hampering the political process in the country, the Arab diplomat said: “Terrorism and criminal armed militias seek to further weaken the state by spreading chaos. There are tremendous efforts from the Government of the Accord and the Libyan National Army to enforce the law, and these efforts have achieved tangible results.”
Jamali expressed his optimism about the mission of UN Special Envoy Ghassan Salame. He noted in this regard that the international envoy was communicating with the different Libyan sides and had submitted proposals to bring the views closer.
“I am optimistic, and I do not expect his mission to fail, even though it requires patience from the mediators and more courage and boldness from the Libyan brothers,” he said.
Jamali commented on the differences between the head of the National Accord Government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar on one side and between the President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh and the Chairman of the High Council of State Abdulrahman Sewehli on the other side.
“The existing differences are not fundamental, and there is agreement on the basic principles such as holding the elections, relying on dialogue to resolve all differences, and rejecting the use of force; this does not prevent the presence of some disagreements on amendments to the political agreement and some details regarding the preparation for the polls; these issues can be resolved, and the UN envoy is assuming this task,” Jamali said.
