Officials from Libya’s rival parliaments sat down at the same table for the first time yesterday at the latest round of United Nations-backed peace talks in Morocco – a move negotiators saw as an important step to forming a unity government.
Meanwhile, violence continued in Libya. Twelve soldiers of the Libyan National Army (LNA) were killed yesterday in clashes with the al-Qaeda-linked group Abu Salem Brigades, an army spokesman said.
Libya has two governments and parliaments, with the internationally recognised government operating out of the country’s east since an armed alliance known as Libya Dawn took over the capital Tripoli and declared its own government last year.
A new round of talks among the warring factions has been under way in the Moroccan costal town of Skhirat since Friday, hosted by the United Nations in an effort to end a conflict that threatens to break up the oil-producing nation. Nearly three weeks after UN envoy Bernardino Leon handed them a final draft, negotiating teams have been trying to hammer out amendments while hardliners on the ground keep fighting for a military victory.
We are working on the text that brings in the remarks of the two parties
“This is definitely an important step,” UN mission in Libya spokesman Samir Ghattas said. “We are working on the text that brings in the remarks of the two parties.”
Neighbouring European countries are concerned Libya, in the absence of central authority, is becoming a haven for Islamist militants and people smugglers.
The UN proposal calls for a one-year-long government of national accord in which a council of ministers headed by a prime minister and two deputies will have executive authority.
The House of Representatives will be the legislative body, but the accord also sees the creation of a 120-member State Council, consisting of 90 members of the Tripoli parliament.
Terms of a ceasefire, the disarmament of armed groups and their withdrawal from oil facilities and cities are also addressed.
Both sides have agreed in principle to the draft but potentially deal-breaking disagreements remain on the authority of the second chamber, the legitimacy of the House of Representatives, and who controls the commander of the national armed forces.
Four years on from the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, European countries are worried that Libya has become a haven for Islamist militants, including Islamic State.