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Libyan parties reach consensus on main elements to end crisis

Xinhua, September 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN envoy, Bernardino Leon, said early Sunday that the Libyan parties have reached a consensus on the main elements to end the country's crisis.

He told reporters in the Moroccan city of Skhirat, where the new round of Libyan political dialogue has been ongoing since Thursday, the UN facilitation is going to distribute the text of the final agreement to the parties later Sunday.

"We believe that this text will receive the total support of the parties and will be voted by the two parties, the House of Representatives and the GNC (General National Congress), and will be endorsed by the rest of the participants in the coming days," he added.

Leon hailed the parties involvement during this round of talks, saying that "it is a very important day for the Libyans because their representatives have worked with political will, with flexibility with generosity to reach this agreement."

As for the agenda till the September 20 deadline, he pointed out that the GNC negotiating team will leave to Tripoli for 48 hours to submit the text and bring with them the names of their candidates for the national unity government.

He added that he hopes that in the following two days, the parties will reach consensus on the unity government.

He noted that the other participants have already provided their candidates.

"I hope that the good momentum and the good spirit that we have tonight will prevail in the coming, and it will be possible to have this text ready to be signed by the 20th of September," he said.

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 the General National Congress (GNC) did not join the accord.

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.

The country is now deadlocked in a dogfight between the pro-secular army and Islamist militants, which has led to a security vacuum for homegrown extremism to brew.

The UN has brokered several rounds of dialogues between the conflicting parties since last September, but clashes persisted despite a truce agreed by the warring factions. Endit