Who benefits from the Libyan political dialogue in Tunisia?

BY JOSEF GEORGE

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum is scheduled to be held in Tunisia on November 9, an event that many analysts have since claimed  is a US "project".

According to them it is aimed at promoting candidates suitable for Washington, its European partners and Turkey for leading positions in future government bodies, in particular for the post of prime minister.

The forum also aims at imposing a "new political reality", developed by the West on the Libyans.

What is even more suprising is the fact that the selection process for the forum participants was not conducted in a transparent atmosphere, its composition was not balanced, a significant part (about 70%) of  the delegates are supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood Association and nominees representing the interests of Turkey.

When selecting applicants, the territorial principle was not taken into account, the historical regions are disproportionately represented, the emphasis is on the western authorities of the former "Jamahiriya", in fact, the southern and eastern regions were ignored.

The opinion of other influential political forces with support "on the ground", which differs from the pro-Western position, will be interpreted as an attempt to disrupt the peace process in Libya.

Supporters of the former leader of the Jamahiriya M. Gaddafi, the Supreme Council of Tribes and Cities (headed by A. Brini) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya, have already refused to participate in the event.

An adequate position was taken by the leaders of the Berbers, Tuba and Tuaregs, who actually control the south of the country.

 The leadership of these tribal militias say that the absence of their representatives casts doubt on the desire declared by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to ensure the full participation of all tribes in the political settlement.

Leading Islamist leaders of Libya (Supreme Mufti S. Garyani) called for a boycott of attempts to impose ‘external control’ over the country, and a number of influential warlords in the west of the former "Jamahiriya" refused to support Washington's proposed solutions and declared their readiness to continue the armed struggle.

The participants do not have sufficient political experience, are easily controlled by external players and may be forced to make unweighted decisions that will negatively affect the course of the conflict settlement. It is obvious that the results of the forum have already been fabricated by the White House.

The participants will be subjected to all-round pressure, including from the allegedly neutral UN support mission in Libya, headed by American S. Williams.

Libyans themselves must determine their future without outside pressure, as a result of a national consensus with the help of moderate intermediaries.

Josef George is a political analyst who has specialized in the Magreb and Balkan politics