Efforts to end the boycott by Tebu and Tuareg members of the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) and address their concerns and those of all Libya’s minority communities headed the agenda at today’s meeting of the CDA which took place in the western Omani city of Salalah.
The CDA’s four Tebu and Tuareg members walked out last August in protest at what they claimed was the refusal of other members to take into account the rights of Libya’s ethnic minorities. They were at today’s meeting.
UN Special Envoy, Martin Kobler also attended the session, the second since the members arrived in Salalah. In a statement of support for the two ethnic minorities he later tweeted: “Listening to Tebu and Twareg @CDALibya. Protection of rights is absolute must. Constitution must satisfy all”. He also said he was encouraged by the spirit of compromise and mutual understanding among those gathered in Salalah.
Some 33 CDA members are in Salalah at the invitation of the Omani government and under the auspices of UNSMIL to discuss the assembly’s current situation, in particular its boycotts which have in effect brought it to a stalemate. The boycott by its four Tebu and Tuareg members and that by 11 mainly west Libyan members has effectively prevented the CDA from voting on articles for inclusion in the draft constitution.
A two-thirds plus one majority (i.e. 41 votes) is required.
In a separate stand to the Tebu and Tuareg representatives, the 11 mainly western boycotters are opposed to the continuing partition of posts and jobs on the basis of a third each to Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. They say this is unfair to Tripolitania with two-thirds of the country’s population.
Fourty-one is the number of members still taking part in CDA proceedings although the meeting in Oman is itself being boycotted by some dozen participating members on the basis that the trip to Oman was excessive and that what could be discussed there could as easily be discussed in Libya.
By Libya Herald reporter.
