Al Jazeera Center for Studies is organising a seminar in cooperation with Al Jazeera Mubasher under the title, “The Libyan Crisis: Complexities on the Ground and Prospects for Regional and International Initiatives”, on Tuesday, 21 March 2017 at 7 pm local time at Al Jazeera Media Institute Auditorium.
Framework
The crisis in Libya has witnessed and continues to witness numerous developments on the ground in relation to confrontations between military factions and the repercussions of these conflicts for political polarisation. It has also seen regional developments in connection with initiatives launched by neighbouring states to Libya, as well as international developments, particularly in the position of the major state players and its security ramifications in Europe and elsewhere.
Events earlier this month—most prominently, the reconquer of the two biggest oil-export ports in Libya by the Benghazi Defence Brigades from the forces of Khalifa Haftar—marked a major shift in the political crisis in Libya. The House of Representatives in Tobruk had voted on Tuesday, 7 March 2017, to cancel the UN-sponsored Skhirat Agreement, which was signed in late 2015. The agreement provided for the formation of a Libyan presidential council that would allow the creation of an accord government bringing in all Libyan parties; but despite the approval of the Skhirat Agreement, the council did not create the government due to disputes over names to be included. The recent decision to cancel the agreement and suspend all forms of dialogue with the Presidential Council have only further complicated the situation.
At the same time, Tunisia, in concert with Algeria and Egypt, announced a tripartite initiative to articulate a vision for a comprehensive settlement of the Libyan crisis and said they were preparing a tripartite presidential summit that would lay the groundwork for an invitation to Libyan parties to sit down for talks. European states with a stake in Libya showed interest in the initiative, in particular France, Italy and Germany, against the backdrop of European fears of possible Russian-American unilateral action in Libyan affairs.
Speakers
To discuss the issue in all its interrelated dimensions, from internal dynamics to regional interest and international positions on the Libyan crisis, we are hosting:
Senoussi Bseikri, Libyan writer and the Director of the Libyan Centre for Research and Development
Dr. al-Hussein al-Alawi, Mauritanian researcher and university professor interested in Moroccan and Sahel issues
Patrick Forestier, French journalist and writer interested in Arab issues
Haoues Taguia, researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies