Questions about excluding Tunisia from the Berlin conference on Libya

Amal al-Hilali - Tunisia

Unlike Algeria, the phone call made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Tunisian President Qais Saeed did not carry an official invitation to participate in the Berlin Conference on Libya, which left questions about the reasons for excluding Tunisia directly concerned with any military repercussions in this neighboring country.

The official in charge of contacting the President of the Republic, Rachida El-Niefer, confirmed that Tunisia had not invited the Berlin Conference, in an intervention with it on the governmental channel, noting that Tunisia's position in support of international legitimacy was pushing towards the inclusion of all Libyan parties in the conference, while continuing diplomatic consultations between the Tunisian and German sides.

Al-Nifir mentioned in the same context that Tunisia has been keen to be represented in the Berlin conference since last October, and she informed the German Foreign Minister about this during his meeting with President Qais Saeed in the same month, but she does not know the reason for not inviting.

On the other hand, the Algerian presidency announced that the newly elected president, Abdel Majid Taboun, received an official invitation to attend the Berlin conference, during a phone call he had gathered with German Chancellor Merkel, although he was previously excluded from the list of attendees.

And Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously stressed during his visit to Tunisia the end of last month, the importance of involving Tunisia, Algeria and Qatar in the Berlin conference, which was called in parallel by Egypt and the UAE.

Absenteeism and justifications
The former diplomat Ahmed Wanis said in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net that Tunisia is absent from the Berlin conference despite the distinguished relations between the Tunisian and German sides, it may be understood from him that there is a conviction on the German side that there is no need to expand the circle of parties participating in the conference.

But he pointed out, in turn, that the Algerian presence, to whom Turkey pressed, is due to the clear official position of this country, which has deviated from the diplomatic neutrality shown by Tunisia, by showing a hostile public stance from retired Major General Khalifa Hifter and standing with the Libyan government of reconciliation led by Fayez al-Sarraj.

The Algerian presidency announced in an official statement, after a meeting between the Algerian president and his Libyan counterpart, Fayez al-Sarraj, that "Tripoli is a red line that no one crosses."

Algeria called on the international community and the Security Council to respect international legitimacy and put an end to the military escalation in Libya, condemning the massacre committed by Haftar forces after the bombing of the Military College in Tripoli, which led to the death of more than 30 people, describing it as "a criminal act that promotes a war crime."

And Ness also attributed Tunisia's absence from the Berlin conference for what he called the lack of political stability in the country, in conjunction with the faltering government formation for more than a month, which negatively affected the Tunisian diplomatic presence abroad.

Blocking and hostility
The same diplomat did not rule out the hindrance of certain Arab countries to the Tunisian presence in Berlin, due to the extreme hostility of these regimes to the Tunisian democratic revolution, "which has become a successful model unlike the rest of the Arab revolutions, and the rulers of these regimes continue to limit their role in Western capitals in particular," as he put it.

The former diplomat pointed out the importance of Tunisia maintaining the same position with regard to all the Libyan fighting parties, and imposing a political and negotiated solution in continuity of the principle of neutrality that has been known to Tunisian diplomacy for decades.

He concluded that the Turkish presence in Libya overturned the political and field equation, and he was credited with moving the global scene by drawing the attention of the major powers to the imminent danger in Libya.

Tunisia, which took over its seat in the Security Council, participated in the emergency session of the Council, held at the request of the Tunisian Republic, the United Kingdom, and Russia on the recent events in Libya, and in the presence of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ghassan Salameh, according to a statement of the Tunisian Foreign Ministry.

Denunciation and explanations
During the session, Tunisia expressed "its strong condemnation and absolute refusal to continue the bloodshed of Libyans, stressing the need for urgent action by the Security Council to impose respect for its relevant resolutions on Libyan affairs," and to push for a peaceful political settlement of the crisis in Libya.

The political analyst and former director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, Tariq Al-Kahlawi, goes on to say that the launch of the Berlin conference was aimed mainly at foreign military powers interfering in Libya, which could give an explanation for the exclusion of Tunisia, pointing to the negative retreat of Tunisian diplomacy and apathy in the relationship with the Libyan neighbor.

On the invitation of Algeria, Al-Kahlawi stressed in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net that this country was previously excluded from attending the Berlin conference, "but it seems that the pressures exerted by Turkey in order to partner this country have paid off," he said.

On the other hand, he pointed out that the exclusion of Tunisia from this conference should not be overwhelming, doubting that it could be held in the first place, in light of the failure to announce a specific date until the moment, and in parallel with the acceleration of military events and developments on the field.

Absence and resentment
Political faces and intellectual elites had expressed their dismay at the absence of Tunisia from attending the Berlin conference, at a time when the military forces and hospitals in southern Tunisia, which is on the border with Libya, are preparing for any emergency.

The views of some of them went on to say that Tunisia is currently living in a stifling diplomatic isolation that it did not live for decades, while others asked about the feasibility of Tunisia as a non-permanent member of the Security Council and in its capacity as Chairman of the Arab League Council.

It is noteworthy that a meeting brought together President Qais Saeed and Parliament Speaker Rashid Ghannouchi yesterday, during which they reaffirmed Tunisia's adherence to international legitimacy in Libya, and the need to find a solution stemming from the will of the Libyan people.