New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    EU preparing 'further countermeasures' to protect its interest, von der Leyen says    Saudi Arabia urges stronger global action to protect children in cyberspace at UN    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Saudi Arabia posts SR49.8 billion travel surplus in 2024 as visitor spending hits SR153.6 billion    911 emergency centers handle over 2.8 million calls in March    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Libyan politicians try again
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 21 - 01 - 2016

Libya is arguably the world's most governed country. A third government was added on Tuesday to the rebel government in Tripoli and what, until now, has been the internationally-recognized government of Abdullah Al-Thinni in the east of the country.
The new government is the result of 12 months of negotiations overseen by the United Nations that have endeavored to stitch together some sort of political consensus.
Named the Government of National Accord it certainly shows signs of not very impressive political needlework. There are 32 ministers, each of whom will have two deputies. With the nine-member presidential council headed by the future prime minister Faiez Serraj, the whole ministerial team numbers 105. In size the new government looks more like a parliament than an administration.
Very few of these people has any particular expertise in their assigned portfolios. They have been selected because of where they come from. The way Serraj has sought the consensus for which the UN has pressed has been to divvy up the different ministerial roles between Libya's three different regions - Tripolitania in the west, Cyrenaica in the east and Fezzan in the south. Additionally different towns were told that they could select ministers or deputies and these people would get the jobs.
This hydra-headed arrangement is an extreme way to produce a representative government and it surely promises huge administrative problems as Serraj tries to make it work. However, the structure defines the real purpose behind an administration that is designed to last only two years, before elections are held under a new constitution that is still being written.
The GNA is supposed to unite all factions and regions and bring about the disarmament of the Libya Dawn militias which seized Tripoli. There is also an urgent need to transport humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the civil war and to fix the collapsing economy.
But most pressing is the growing issue of terrorism. Daesh (the self-proclaimed IS) now has thousands of fighters based in Muammar Gaddafi's old hometown of Sirte. From there they have spread out hundreds of kilometers along the coast and pressed south toward the oil fields. There are sleeper cells in the capital Tripoli and in most towns controlled by Libya Dawn. The terrorist threat is immense.
For the international community the real importance of the new government is that it is expected to request counter-terrorism assistance. At that point air strikes seem certain against Daesh along with the presence of foreign forces - the Italians, British and Germans have all pledged troops - though it is being emphasized that they will only be present to train and advise, not in combat roles. That remains to be seen. Special Forces seem certain to be deployed.
The new government faces two further hurdles before it can start work: it must be approved by the elected House of Representatives in the east and it has to move from its current home in Tunis to set itself up in Tripoli. At the moment most in Libya Dawn led by Nuri Abu Sahmain, the president of the old parliament, the General National Congress, oppose the GNA. However, if the HOR accepts Serraj's administration, he can at least call for international counter-terrorism help and the air strikes can start immediately.


Clic here to read the story from its source.