World powers will push for sanctions against anyone who disrupts Libya's political transition, their leaders agreed at a Paris conference on Friday aimed at ensuring the country sticks to a plan to hold elections in December.
The hydrocarbon-rich North African country has been mired in civil war since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 uprising, with the bloodshed drawing in competing Libyan factions and Islamist groups, as well as regional powers.
Libya's elections targeted for December 24 were set through a UN-backed roadmap adopted last year, which also established an interim unity government to take over from rival administrations in the country’s east and west that had been warring for years.
The Paris meeting, which included the leaders of France, Libya, Germany, Italy and Egypt, as well as the US vice president, was intended to cement backing for the planned December vote and efforts to remove foreign forces.
The votes for a new president and parliament are still in doubt with six weeks to go amid disputes between rival Libyan factions and political bodies over the rules underpinning the electoral schedule and who can run for office.
The wrangling threatens to unravel the wider peace process, which also includes efforts to unify long-divided state institutions and to pull out foreign mercenaries who remain entrenched along front lines despite a ceasefire.
Leaders in Paris decided "that individuals or entities, inside or outside of Libya, who might attempt to obstruct, undermine, manipulate or falsify the electoral process and the political transition" could face sanctions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a video message to the conference warned that "any party that deliberately undermines or sabotages peace must be held accountable".
The UN Security Council has previously agreed sanctions against Libyan political figures for their role in the conflict. However Russia has only sent lower-level representatives to Paris, raising questions over its backing of positions agreed there.
Amid disputes over the polling date, the powers said they backed a vote "starting on Dec. 24" with the results of the presidential and parliamentary elections to be announced simultaneously. The UN roadmap had called for both votes to be held on December 24.
Russia, Turkey must remove mercenaries, says Macron
The foreign powers want what they call an inclusive election – likely meaning one that would allow all potential candidates to run, including divisive figures seen as unacceptable in large swathes of Libya, as well as serving officials.
Paris initially wanted the leaders of Russia and Turkey to attend the conference. Turkey, which fears France wants to accelerate the departure of Turkish forces from Libya, joined Moscow in sending lower-level representatives.
Speaking at the end of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said a commitment by eastern forces to remove 300 foreign mercenaries through a process agreed between the warring eastern and western sides must be followed by Russia and Turkey pulling out fighters too.
Ankara voiced reservations over language in the final statement regarding the departure of foreign forces. It has long stressed a difference between the presence of its troops in Libya that were invited by a UN-recognised government and those imported by other factions.
Mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group are entrenched alongside the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which was supported in the war by Moscow, along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
The former Tripoli government had support from Turkish regular forces in Libya as advisers, and from allied Syrian fighters, the Turkish government has said.
Diplomats have said Turkey was unlikely to act before there were departures from forces in the east.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
