# Libya: why Berlin Conference may not resolve crises

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2019/10/libya-why-berlin-conference-may-not-resolve-crises/
- Published: 2019-10-30T17:35:36+01:00
- Author: Military Africa

**Berlin conference on Libya can not resolve long-lasting conflict without reconsidering
current status quo**

The German ambassador to Libya, Oliver Owcza announced on his Twitter in early September
that his country intends to hold a meaningful international conference before the
end of this fall in Berlin, to resolve the Libyan crisis.

“Germany therefore initiated a consultation process with key international partners,”
the German diplomat said.

However, as precedent has shown, previous international meetings have not yielded
the desired results and only served as a tool for the foreign countries to achieve
their own interests.

So the question arises: **_is there any point in Berlin conference?_**

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After the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Germany seemed not to pay close attention
to the situation in the libya and has been seeking to maintain equal distance from
the conflicting parties.

The UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, said Germany appears neutral in comparison
with France and Italy, which are competing for influence and have their own interests
in Libya’s gas and oil production.

Perhaps this is the reason why many analysts believes that the Berlin conference
is likely to succeed, in spite of the fact that previous meetings in Paris, Palermo
and Abu Dhabi failed to break the political deadlock.

In addition, according to German officials, Germany does not intend to focus on 
elections, a thorny issue for Libya, but will give top priority to two practical
tasks.

One, is to resume peaceful dialogue, while the second one is to force all parties
to abide by the UN arms embargo.
However, the Berlin conference is also likely to
stumble, primarily because it has not made any specific proposals in order to reconsider
the current status quo that is stemming from the out-dated Libyan political agreement(
LPA).In a document known as the “**_Skhirat Agreement,”_** which was signed under
the auspices of the United Nations in the city of Skhirat, Morocco, in 2015.

The Skhirat Agreement was aimed to create the legal basis for the Government of 
National Accord. In fact, the LPA legitimized the dominant role of Islamist forces,
that came to power immediately after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.

Thus, those who were fighting the former regime were able to legally settle their
status and appoint their representatives to the government bodies, based on the 
extent of their contribution to the elimination of the Libyan Jamahirya.
In this
regard, a prominent example is the Libyan coastal city of Misurata, some 120 km 
east of Tripoli. It is believed that Misurata native GNA Deputy Prime Minister _Ahmed
Maiteeq_ represents a guardian of his city’s interests at the state level.

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Additionally, Fathi Bashaga, who is also from Misurata, was appointed interior minister
last October in the unity government.
Moreover, according to the Skhirat agreement,
GNA headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj has been granted full control over the
export of natural resources and preparation of the State budget.

As a result, the Tripoli-based government abused its power and unequally distributed
Libya’s budget among the three regions of the country – more than 60% to Tripolitania
and the rest to Cyrenaica and Fezzan.
Four years after the signing of the Skhirat
Agreement, the balance of political forces in Libya has changed significantly. The
southeast of Libya witnessed the rise of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the
Libyan National Army.

As of now, Haftar is viewed as the most influential political figure in Libya as
his forces remain in control of more than 80% of national territory.
In the changing
environment, the Skhirat Agreement should have been reformed to bring the document
into line with the reality of today’s Libya.

But it has not. Unsurprisingly, financial discrimination against Cyrenaica and Fezzan
resulted in social resentment and resistance from local authorities, which in fact
were disobeying Tripoli’s government.
And it’s not surprising this led the southeastern
Libya forces under the command of Khalifa Haftar to launch the military operation
in order to regain control of the capital Tripoli.

The fact that the city has been long suffering under the armed militias’ rule was
also instrumental to launch this campaign.
The **_Libya Observer _**reported that
the GNA set out a number of conditions that Germany would have to meet to secure
the participation of Tripoli’s delegation in the Berlin conference.

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Among these conditions were that Germany should renew commitment to the Libyan Political
Agreement and halt all contacts with parallel authorities in the country’s east.

In this context, Sarraj’s government seems not to intend to settle the long-lasting
crisis in the country, seeking to continue its dominance over the two other regions.

It is evident that this approach, which is still pursued by the GNA, not only make
it pointless to convene the Berlin conference, but also pushes the Libyan National
Army to continue the military campaign in Tripoli to try to restore justice to the
majority of the Libyan people.

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