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Libyan political dialogue to convene anew next week in Geneva

Xinhua, August 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

A new round of Libyan political dialogue will be convened in Geneva on September 3-4, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced on Friday.

Upon the end of two-day talks in the Moroccan city of Skhirat, UNSMIL pointed out in a statement that the new round will be held at the United Nations Office in Geneva to complete the discussions with a view to finalizing the Libyan Political Agreement for it to be ready for signing a few days afterwards.

The UNSMIL described the talks in Morocco as being held in a "positive" and "constructive" atmosphere, underscoring the participants' deep conviction that finalizing the political agreement was a matter of extreme urgency.

The UN envoy Bernardino Leon expressed hope that the General National Congress (GNC) will rejoin the talks in Geneva after staying away from this round in Skhirat following the resignation of two members of its dialogue team and its request for time to reorganize their team.

He said UNSMIL will intensify its contacts with the Libyan stakeholders to ensure wide participation in the next round.

During two-day talks, the participants in the dialogue discussed with Leon annexes to the Libyan Political Agreement, which was initialed in July, and timelines for concluding the political dialogue.

According to Leon, discussions addressed four annexes, namely the future government guidelines, financial stability guidelines, the state council and amendments to the constitutional declaration.

"Now is the time for all leaders to set aside their differences and put the country's interest first and work towards the quick establishment of the Government of National Accord, as called for in the political agreement," the statement quoted the UN envoy as saying.

He added that this government, in partnership with the international community and the overwhelming support of the Libyan people, will be able to address Libya's problems, combat terrorism, restore stability and put the country back on the road to economic recovery.

The UN-brokered political agreement was initialed in July by the Tubrok-based parliament alongside representatives of political parties, municipalities and civil society groups, whereas GNC in Tripoli has not joined.

Libya, a major oil producer in North Africa, has been witnessing a frayed political process after former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled during the 2011 political turmoil. Endit