UN mission holds consultations with Libyan parties to pursue next round talks

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced on Wednesday that it is undertaking a series of urgent consultations with Libyan parties to make sure next round of talks are convened soon.

"The mission believes that ending the severe political division in Libya is of critical importance, since its continuation will only pose a clear threat to the unity and cohesion of the country, " UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing.

The mission announced on its website that the consultations are held due to recent political and security developments in Libya, particularly the terrorist bombings in the City of Al-Gubbah and the decision of the House of Representatives to suspend its participation in the political dialogue.

On Tuesday, Libya's Islamist-backed parliament General National Congress (GNC) said the UN-brokered talks with its rival parliament have been postponed indefinitely. The decision came a day after Libya's internationally recognized parliament House of Representatives, which operates in Libya's eastern city of Tobruk, decided to quit the dialogue, accusing the GNC of spreading " violence, terrorism and extremism."

Last week, a string of suicide car bombings targeted a local security building, a gas station, and residence of Akila Saleh Issa, a parliament leader, leaving at least 30 dead and 30 others injured and making the security situation in the country even worse.

UNSMIL called upon stakeholders in Libya to renew their commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Libyan crisis, saying it will "not allow this window of opportunity to slip away."

It also said the UN-facilitated Libyan dialogue rounds "were conducted in a responsible and serious environment, with a high sense of resolve and determination on the part of the participants to reach a comprehensive political agreement to end the Libyan crisis and restore security and stability."

The dialogue is intended to produce proposals and the participants as well as the UN were fully transparent during their work on the dialogue, said the mission.

The UN has held several rounds of dialogues between the opposing parties since September, but clashes remained despite a truce agreed on by factions.

Bernadino Leon, the secretary-general's special representative for Libya, once said that a political agreement is the safeguard to the country's unity and ability to combat terrorism in a telephone conversation with Libya's Interim Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, and asked for the interim government's public support for the dialogue.

The protracted conflict in Libya has caused a humanitarian crisis with at least 120,000 people forced to flee their homes, resulting in shortages in both food and medical supplies along with mounting numbers of casualties.

After the ouster of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the country has been in conflict since the beginning of its civil war in 2011, and currently the recent burst of violence has further rattled the war-weary country. Endite