H.E. Ambassador Richard Norland Special Envoy and Ambassador of the United States of America to Libya<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your Excellency, Dear Ambassador\/Envoy Norland,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greetings. Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) welcomes \u201cThe US Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability 10-Year Strategic Plan for Libya\u201d published on 24 March 2023 by the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations of the U.S. State Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are indeed encouraged that \u201cThe United States is committed to helping Libyans in their ongoing struggle for a more peaceful, stable, unified future.\u201d We are also encouraged by the oft-expressed U.S. commitment to Libyan Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in 2023, in full support of the commendable approach of H.E. Abdoulaye Bathily, UN General Secretary\u2019s Special Representative for Libya and Head of UNSMIL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We share the concern about the existential threats to Libya and to our region, but feel that they are primarily caused by the continued prevention of 2.8 million Libyan voters from directly choosing their own elected President and new Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only a directly elected Libyan presidency, balanced by a clean legislature, and a responsible judiciary, can save Libya and eject all foreign meddling. Only such duly elected Libyan leadership can work with the U.S. and other partners on mitigating the risks to Libya and to our region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cover-up and impunity regarding the corruption charges that surrounded the selection of the last interim government, and the complacency regarding the reneging on the ethical and legally binding commitments signed before the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), under the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, have all contributed to making Libya an easy prey to local and foreign malign and greedy actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are glad that the U.S. government (USG) is now \u201cusing the SPCPS focus on Libya to convene local stakeholders, the USG interagency, and international partners to develop concrete steps to create conditions for Libya\u2019s long-term peace and stability\u2014building upon identified resiliencies and promising initiatives.\u201d However, we feel that the most important \u201cpromising initiative\u201d is the actual urgent delivering of direct Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Ihya Libya, and through our think-tank, the Libya Institute for Advanced Studies (LIAS), we stand ready to contribute to the \u201citerative multi-stakeholder engagement\u201d with other Libyans regarding the details and implementation of any strategy that pertains to saving our own country. We salute the focus on the vital, and urgently needed, process of demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR), and welcome combined UN, AU, EU contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We clearly see that the goals and details of the U.S. 10-year strategic plan for Libya are in total coherence with our own Libyan-generated Vision for our own country (see ihyalibya.com for details), and we therefore welcome them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However we feel that the commendable goal of seeing Libya \u201cgoverned by a democratically elected, unified, representative, and internationally recognized authority that is able to ensure human rights, deliver public services, promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, secure its border, and partner with the United States and international community on shared priorities\u201d must not be a \u201clong-term\u201d goal, but an achievable short-term basic Human Right of the 2.8 million voters who are ready to vote in direct Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in 2023, as per the plan of H.E. Bathily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ihya Libya strongly feels that any talk of an \u201cincremental, tailored, and scalable approach\u201d and an \u201cinitial sequenced efforts which incrementally build toward progress\u201d \u201cover time\u201d risks giving the current ruling political clique excuses to prolong their corrupt tyrannical rule. It is this greedy clique who are the only remaining \u201cpolitical roadblocks that have obstructed credible elections to date\u201d. Clique-to-clique deals to divide up spoils of national resources and possibly share power are not an acceptable alternative to legitimate democratic rule that can only be truly achieved through direct Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incremental approach outlined in the 10-year strategic plan is indeed commendable and is much needed, but only after a newly elected Libyan President and Parliament are duly elected in 2023, and are able to partner with U.S. and other countries on a strong equitable basis of national sovereignty and legitimacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are glad that the U.S. strategic approach includes \u201clearning and feedback loops that will engage Libyan perspectives\u201d. That is why Ihya Libya felt encouraged to provide you with our feedback, and to express our readiness to fully cooperate with you towards the commendable, but urgent, goal of a duly and directly elected Presidential and Parliamentary democracy in 2023, as per H.E. Bathily\u2019s plan, which we wholeheartedly and publicly support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you very much for your kind consideration. Best regards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aref Ali Nayed, We share the concern about the existential threats to Libya and to our region, but feel that they are primarily caused by the continued prevention of 2.8 million Libyan voters from directly choosing their own elected President and new Parliament,\u201d states Presidential candidate Dr Aref Nayed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":" The Islamic State terrorist group likely will launch an attack on Italy within weeks, not months, according to a senior Libyan government official.<\/p>\n Aref Ali Nayed<\/strong>, Libya\u2019s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said in an interview that one likely method of attack would be to use stolen Libyan airliners now believed to be in the hands of Islamists in Libya.<\/p>\n\n\n
Chairman,
Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) Presidential Candidate<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arefnayed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/337667383_171924065671541_8603121767726148644_n-724x1024.jpg\")
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