It is looking increasingly unfeasible to expect a national unity government in Libya that includes all factions, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
He said the international community’s was wearing think as UN talks to broker an agreement between all sides in Libya have so far produced no results.
Dr Muscat described as “a chimera” the notion of having all factions forming a national unity government.
“It is more feasible to find a majority of tribes and factions on both sides of the divide and work with them to form a national unity government,” he said.
Dr Muscat was asked about the situation in Libya at a press conference closing the second day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Libya is divided between two rival governments based in Tripoli and Tobruk and the political vacuum has created space for radical groups like Islamic State to get a foothold. The country has remained unstable and dangerous after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
But the situation in the North African state has been pushed to the sidelines as the international community shifts its focus to Syria in the wake of the Paris attacks.
“Time is almost up for Libya and there definitely needs to be a moment of reckoning… the international community must support people of goodwill from both sides,” Dr Muscat said, adding he was not advocating military action.
Dr Muscat said everyone knew who the individuals on both sides in Libya opposing a national unity government were and they should be given an ultimatum or face personal sanctions. “My appeal is not against Tripoli, it is to both sides to form a national unity government,” he said. The international community has so far recognised the Tobruk government but has remained open to talks between all sides.
Dr Muscat was reiterating a call made earlier by British Prime Minister David Cameron who said Libya needed a unity government to ensure the international community had a partner to work with.
Speaking during a press briefing on the sidelines of CHOGM, Mr Cameron said extremist groups took advantage of ungoverned space, making it necessary for the international community to work hard for a unity government in Libya.
Mr Cameron wants the UK Parliament to authorise airstrikes in Syria but has so far stopped short of seeking a vote on the matter. The UK is already involved in Iraq targeting IS positions there.
Mr Cameron yesterday hinted he would proceed with a vote despite the Labour Party leader’s opposition to airstrikes in Syria. Labour is split on the matter. He said the military option was needed to target IS but political and diplomatic efforts were needed to ensure a transition government that represented everyone was in place in Syria.
On the Commonwealth, Mr Cameron said the organisation had to stand for human rights, including LGBTI rights. “It must do more. The Commonwealth can be a force for good,” he added.
He also urged Commonwealth members to tackle corruption, which he described as “a cancer”.