Bitter rivals agree to poll framework

PARIS: The leaders of rival Libyan factions agreed on Tuesday to work together on a legal framework for holding presidential and parliamentary elections in December, in a deal being pushed by France’s president to bring stability to Libya and stem the flow of migrants to Europe from its shores.

It was the latest of many international efforts to find a political solution to the chaos plaguing Libya since Moammar Gadhafi’s 2011 ouster. But analysts said the poll timetable was extremely optimistic and the agreement, as with previous efforts, risked being undermined by opposition from armed groups on the ground.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Libyan leaders will set election rules by mid-September, hold the vote on Dec 10, and ensure that voters and candidates will be safe. The leaders also agreed to eventually streamline their parallel government structures and merge their armed forces and other security entities.

Power in Libya is divided between two rival governments, in the east and west of the country, and a plethora of armed groups that pledge allegiance to either administration, or none.

President Emmanuel Macron of France described the agreement as “historic” and essential to the “security and stability of the Libyan people”. The French president has tried to carve out a role for himself as a mediator in the Middle East and a proponent of multilateral agreements.

Getting the leaders in the same room was an achievement, analysts said, but translating that into concrete efforts to rein in armed groups and stabilise the country remains a daunting task.

In a sign of the difficulties ahead, none of the leaders in Paris signed Tuesday’s agreement. When asked about it, Mr Macron said the leaders wanted to discuss it with their supporters back home. But then he cut through the diplomatic language to acknowledge a larger issue.

“You have here the presidents of institutions that do not recognise each other,” Mr Macron said. “Each and every one denied the existence of the institutions that the others represented and their legitimacy. That is the difficulty of Libya’s current situation over the past months.”

France and other European countries want to stabilise Libya to stem the flow of migrants leaving for Europe.