IF THE latest announcement of Bernardino León, the UN envoy to Libya, was meant to bring that country’s warring sides together, he has succeeded. His proposed “unity” government, announced on October 8th, has been met with criticism in both the east and the west of the country.
Libya has suffered from instability ever since the Western-backed overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. For over a year it has been split between an internationally-recognised government based in Beida in the east, which also has the backing of the military; and another based in Tripoli, the country’s capital, in the west, which is supported by Islamists and local militias. Mr León, an unremitting optimist, has tried for months to bring the two sides together, leaving several missed deadlines in his wake.
His latest plan would see the parliament in the east become the state’s legislative body, while a new consultative chamber (to be called the State Council) would be made up mostly of members of the western parliament. He had asked both sides to propose names for a national-unity government, but politicians in the west demurred, demanding changes to the plan. So on October 8th Mr...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1LnLQBg
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