Intra-Libyan Oil Exports Deal Creates Framework For State-Building - Eastern Diplomat

Intra-Libyan Oil Exports Deal Creates Framework for State-Building - Eastern Diplomat

The freshly-inked agreement between the Libyan rival forces on resuming the production and export of oil is expected to purge the country's economy from harmful foreign interference and give a start to the process of state-building, Aref Ali Nayed, an envoy for Libya's eastern-based government, told Sputnik on Saturday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2020) The freshly-inked agreement between the Libyan rival forces on resuming the production and export of oil is expected to purge the country's economy from harmful foreign interference and give a start to the process of state-building, Aref Ali Nayed, an envoy for Libya's eastern-based government, told Sputnik on Saturday.

On Friday, the Libyan National Army (LNA) said it had reached an agreement with the rival Government of National Accord (GNA) and tribal factions to lift the blockade of Libya's oilfields and let domestic producers resume exports as long as the revenue is split fairly and not used to sponsor terrorists. The blockade had been in place since January, when a new wave of LNA-GNA escalation began.

"This agreement to resume Libyan oil exports, together with the agreed mechanism for fair and transparent distribution of oil revenue, addresses the root causes of wars and conflicts in Libya. The agreement provides a framework for taking the first steps of Libyan state-building," Nayed said.

The envoy commended GNA Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq, who negotiated the deal with LNA commander Khalifa Haftar, for "bravely siding with Libya" and standing up for the interests of the entire nation and not just a ruling circle in the west.

According to Nayed, the agreement might even give an impetus to the national dialogue and reconciliation in Libya on the back of almost a decade-long conflict.

"There will be many spoilers, of course, including terrorists who will no longer have their funding, and countries that have been using Libya's Central Bank as an ATM machine to shore up their ailing economies. Libya will prevail over all spoilers, and will retrieve its unity and independence," the diplomats said.

As noted by Nayed, the agreement to uncork the revenues from oil is also a serious support for Libya's crumbling economy and deteriorating living conditions, which have recently prompted scattered public protests.

Since the onset of Libya's political disarray in 2011, the GNA has established itself as the power pole in the country's west headquartered in Tripoli and supported by Turkey, while the LNA took control over the east with the center in Tobruk supported by the Libyan House of Representatives.

This past Wednesday, GNA head Fayez Sarraj announced resignation.