Italian Lawmaker Says Assembly Of Libyan Tribal Leaders Essential For Conflict Settlement

An assembly of the representatives of the Libyan people, namely of tribal members, could pave a way toward the settlement of the conflict in the North African country, Marco Minniti, an Italian lawmaker from the Democratic Party, told Sputnik in an interview

GENOA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2020) An assembly of the representatives of the Libyan people, namely of tribal members, could pave a way toward the settlement of the conflict in the North African country, Marco Minniti, an Italian lawmaker from the Democratic Party, told Sputnik in an interview.

"I think there can be no solution to the Libyan crisis without the mobilization of various parts of the Libyan society," Minniti said.

The lawmaker gave an example of so-called Loya Jirga � a Pashtun tradition of a type of grand council or a gathering of representatives from different factions of tribes in Afghanistan � an assembly that played a role in the Afghan peace process after the collapse of the Taliban's government in 2001.

"I think that if we want to take a step forward in the Libyan settlement, we need to involve not only international stakeholders but also Libyans themselves. The point is that Libyan players, and that is why the situation is so complex, are not only the Government of National Accord [GNA] and [Khalifa] Haftar [the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA)].

There is the problem of Misrata, there is the problem of the South of Libya and of the sub-Saharan tribes, there is the problem of the Libyan tribes," the lawmaker stated.

Minniti added that tribes could become an important asset for the stabilization of Libya.

"Therefore, an assembly of tribal leaders can also be a way to give back legitimacy [to the Libyan people] while waiting for elections and a way to give democratic legitimacy to an electoral process. This would be very important," the lawmaker said.

The North African country is home to more than 20 major tribal groups, including both Bedouin and non-Bedouin tribes, the Tuareg tribe, the Toubou people and others. The country is also often divided into three historical regions � Tripolitania in the west, Cyrenaica in the east and Fezzan in the south.

Libya has been torn apart between the internationally recognized GNA and the rival forces of Haftar. Tensions further escalated last year after the LNA began its operation to retake the GNA-held capital of Tripoli.