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Libyan rival factions to meet in Rome on peace agreement

Xinhua, December 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Libyan rival factions and UN officials have arrived in Rome on Saturday for the conference focused on Libya's political crisis as well as the anti-terror issues.

The ministerial-level meeting, to start on Sunday, is expected to bring to the table the United States, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom, as well as Libya's regional neighbors. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also set to present.

The conference is aimed to fuel the momentum of the warring Libyan sides, who have agreed a Dec. 16 deadline to sign a final peace deal, thus stipulating the goal of a steady political transition and forming a national unity government.

Despite the agreement announced on Friday, analysts said there are still hardliners in both parliaments and it may jeopardize the final deal.

Head of UN Support Mission in Libya Martin Kobler arrived in Rome on Saturday afternoon, a day after the intense Libyan peace talks held in Tunis. He told Xinhua reporter that he hoped the conference will boost the confidence for Libyan factions and lay a good foundation for the peace deal.

Libya is now suffering a political crisis with two rival parliaments and governments battling for legitimacy amid a state of insecurity and anarchy years after the downfall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The UN has sponsored dialogue sessions between Libyan rivals, in and outside Libya for more than a year, in order to end the country's political division. Endit