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Recast: New round of Libya talks to begin this week in Morocco: UN

Xinhua, March 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

A new round of UN- facilitated talks will kick off later this week in Morocco in a bid to put an early end to Libya's political crisis, with the focus on the formation of a government, the United Nations announced Tuesday.

The UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) made the announcement, saying that "the parties have formally communicated their decision to take part in the dialogue following close consultations with Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernardino Leon during his visit to Tobruk and Tripoli yesterday," Vannina Maestracci, the associate UN spokesperson, told reporters here.

"This week's talks will focus on the formation of a government of national unity, security arrangements to pave the way for a comprehensive ceasefire, and completion of the constitution drafting process within clear timelines," she said.

Leon is expected to brief the UN Security Council on Wednesday morning via video link, she added.

The UN mission in Libya brokered a national dialogue conference on Sept. 29 in the southwestern city of Ghadames between Libya's rival factions in order to find a peaceful solution to the country 's political crises after months of fierce fighting and political division.

"The parties underscored the need to urgently resume the dialogue process as the only viable means of finding a peaceful solution to Libya's political crisis and bringing a durable end to the military conflict that has brought much suffering to the Libyan people," UNSMIL said in a statement issued earlier Tuesday.

"The Libyan people have paid a huge price and have suffered much over the past months," said the statement. "At this critical juncture in Libya's transition and in view of a rapidly diminishing window of opportunity for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya, UNSMIL appeals to all parties to approach the next round of talks with a spirit of constructive engagement and strong sense of national responsibility."

Meanwhile, the UN Mission also called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in order to create "a conducive environment for the talks" and urged all parties to "desist from engaging in reciprocal attacks that only serve to escalate tensions and contribute to further violence."

The planned meeting follows recent political and security developments, particularly the recent deadly terrorist bombings in the city of Al-Qubbah and the decision of the House of Representatives in Libya to suspend its participation in the political dialogue.

The latest wave of violence has further rattled the war-weary country in conflict since the beginning of its civil war in 2011, which resulted in the ouster of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The attack in Al-Qubbah killed at least 45 people and injured scores of others when one bomber detonated his vehicle near a gas station on Feb. 20. The initial bombing was immediately followed by two car explosions near the home of Libya's Speaker of the House of Representatives and the government's security headquarters. Enditem