A little more than a month after the elections in Libya, scheduled for Christmas Eve, an international conference in Paris aims to create the conditions so that the road map for the stabilization of the North African country does not register slips. At present the feeling is that the deadline of December 24 is not respected. The Conference’s attempt is to express a common European position in support of the political stabilization process.
Countdown to December 24th
The work of the Parisian conference began a few minutes after 15.30, at the Maison de la Chimiei, behind the Assemblée Nationale. The summit, announced by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in September at the United Nations General Assembly, is co-chaired by France, Italy, Germany, the United Nations and Libya. Present for Italy were the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, and the Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio. The conclusion, with a press conference, is scheduled for 18:30. The conference is attended by about twenty heads of state and government from both shores of the Mediterranean. Objective: to find solutions to facilitate the journey from now to December 24, the date of the political and presidential elections in Libya.
Putin and Erdogan, the absences that do not go unnoticed
The absences in Paris of the presidents of the Russian Federation and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, respectively, do not go unnoticed. The second decided not to attend due to the presence at the conference table of representatives of Greece, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration. For the US, Vice President Kamala Harris intervened. The Egyptian President Al Sisi was present.
Bilateral Draghi-premier Dabaiba
In the morning Draghi met with the premier of the Libyan national unity government Abdel Hamid Dabaiba at the Embassy of Italy in Paris. The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of both countries: Luigi Di Maio and Najla Mangoush. Dabaiba took over from the outgoing Government of National Accord (GNA) of Fayez al Sarraj.
Possible new meeting in Rome in spring 2022
The Paris conference on Libya could be followed by a meeting in Rome next spring. This is what Palazzo Chigi has made known, according to which today’s appointment will focus on the themes of the political process, security, economy and the humanitarian situation (including the migration issue). In the intentions shared with Paris, the conference represents a stage in a path that could foresee a further meeting in Rome after the elections, in the spring of 2022.