Al-Dibani calls for implementing the 4+4 committee’s understandings
LIBYA – Political analyst Abdullah Al-Dibani has said that activating the outcomes of the small “4+4” dialogue committee is one of the realistic ways to resolve the Libyan crisis, arguing that the renewed debate over a political solution comes as the UN-sponsored understandings near the point of being turned into practical steps.
Objections and their causes
In comments to Sputnik, Al-Dibani said objections from some parties did not necessarily point to the failure of the UN approach, but might, in his analysis, reflect resistance from forces that benefit from keeping the political landscape as it is.
Electoral laws, the commission and the executive
He said the process led by UN envoy Hanna Tetteh — which produced the 4+4 committee and understandings on addressing the electoral laws, reconstituting the High National Elections Commission and unifying the executive authority — represented, in his view, an important breakthrough in the political deadlock and an international framework that could be built on.
He said these outcomes could help end the succession of transitional phases and create the conditions for comprehensive presidential and parliamentary elections.
Political bodies’ influence and fears of losing powers
Al-Dibani attributed the objections of political committees and existing bodies to fears of losing influence and their monopoly over legislative and political decision-making, after years without elections, according to his assessment.
He added that some objectors reject what they see as parallel processes or narrow understandings that erode their constitutional powers, but argued that the faltering of traditional consensus between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State had pushed the UN mission to seek more flexible negotiating formats that include the active and influential parties.
Respecting institutions and moving to wider representation
Al-Dibani stressed that, in his view, the mission was not seeking to exclude or bypass existing institutions, but to spur them to play their role within a set timeframe.
He cited the referral of the committee’s agreement to the House of Representatives and the High Council of State for approval as evidence of concern for institutional legitimacy, pointing to mechanisms that would allow a move to a more broadly representative national format if consensus proved impossible or obstruction continued.
A call for elections to end the division
He called for the national interest to be put first and for local and international efforts to be coordinated to implement the understandings, leading to presidential and parliamentary elections that end the division and restore Libyans’ right to choose their authorities.
