Al-Hayat: What is the way out of this situation?
Jibril: The only way out is to agree on a project and not on positions. There must be a project to resolve the problems that hinder the establishment of the state, namely the proliferation of militias, and the lack of an army, police force, a judiciary and a [national] economy. Key players on the ground from among the militia leaders, the official military forces, the social leaders from among tribal elders and political leaders must sit at the same table to reach a solution. They shall all sign a charter that will be used as a framework for all parties and that the government shall adopt as its national program. At that moment, there will be no struggle for ministerial positions, as is happening now. When the key players draft this program they will not impede its implementation. No militia commander will kidnap the prime minister as was done with Ali Zeidan, who was kidnapped from his hotel room.
Al-Hayat: But you said that militia leaders have their interests that would be undermined by the return of the state?
Jibril: The majority now are looking for a way out, because everyone is convinced that the use of force is useless, and killing will only lead to more killing. This conviction did not exist two years ago, when many thought that they could impose their will by force of arms. A project must be adopted to reassure militia leaders that they will not be prosecuted, of course reserving the rights of the blood avengers, that they will not be extradited to any other country and that no one will be handed to the International Criminal Court — because more than 480 names have been submitted to the court and these people are threatened with international prosecution. The international community shall observe this project, and the army leaders shall set specifications for the army so as not to interfere in politics.
Al-Hayat: What army are you talking about, while there is a conflict over who represents the state’s army?
Jibril: I wish the war on terrorism had unified the armed forces, whether official or not, because terrorism threatens everyone. I wish the military efforts would be unified to fight terrorism as a preliminary step to build bridges of trust between the parties. But unfortunately there is fragmentation, even when it comes to fighting terrorism. Part of the forces joined the international community camp and the other part joined the other camp, which further entrenched division and disparity. The international community should have exerted pressure for the creation of a unified national army force to fight terrorism.
Al-Hayat: What about IS in Libya?
Jibril: I am talking about all forms of terrorism. IS is an organization created by the media rather than by its own actions. IS has some foothold in Benghazi and has a presence in Sirte, and I think that there are sleeper cells in Tripoli and other cities such as Misrata. I do not think that IS, terrorism and extremism find a suitable environment in Libya. IS gains its strength by fragmenting the Libyan efforts and through the exaggerated media focus on this disarray.