Libyan parliament requests postponement of peace talks

Libyan elected parliament on Tuesday requested the United Nations to postpone peace talks for a week to allow more time to discuss next government's roadmap, according to a parliament spokesperson.

"We request postponement of the dialogue session for a week to discuss the next government's roadmap, jurisdictions, timeframe, and relationship with the House of Representatives," said Farraj Hashem, spokesperson of the parliament House of Representatives.

The UN mission to Libya had planned to organize a new round of dialogue between Libya's political factions on Wednesday in Morocco.

The UN-sponsored dialogue between Libya's warring factions paused last Saturday, allowing time for representatives from rival parties to consult on plans to solve the ongoing crisis.

Libya has been witnessing frayed political process since the 2011 turmoil, which toppled its former leader Muammar Gaddafi, and it is now juggling two rival parliaments, the secular House of Representatives and the Islamist-backed General National Congress.

Forces loyal to the two major factions have been warring with each other in cities like Tripoli, Benghazi and Gharyan, causing a humanitarian crisis with at least 120,000 people forced to leave their homes, and resulting in consequent shortages in both food and medical supplies along with mounting numbers of casualties.

The UN has held several rounds of dialogue between the conflicting parties since September, but the clashes continued although factions had agreed on a truce. Endit