Libya Rivals Face Three Days of 'Decisive' Talks
U.N. envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon urged rival Libyan lawmakers meeting in Morocco Friday to try to nail down a political agreement within days as they began a weekend of "decisive" talks.
He said talks over the next three days will focus on security arrangements, the creation of a national unity government and confidence-building measures.
"By Sunday, we would like to have these three documents ready and if possible, published, as already agreed (as) part of what will be a final package," he told reporters in the resort of Skhirat, near Rabat, where the talks are being held.
Leon warned that unrest in Libya and a deadly attack in neighboring Tunisia claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 20 tourists and a policeman "is another sign of alarm".
Tunisia said Friday the gunmen who carried out the attack on the National Bardo Museum were trained at a militant camp in Libya.
"There is a sense of urgency and we believe this should be a decisive round," Leon said, urging both sides to work in a "spirit of compromise".
The latest round of U.N.-mediated talks between the parliament elected in June and based in the eastern city of Tobruk and the Islamist-backed General National Congress seated in the capital was delayed for several days to allow both sides to prepare, he said.
GNC delegation chief Mohammed Saleh al-Makhzoum, at the outset of the talks, renewed his side's call for direct negotiations.
"We hold out our hand to the other side for a direct dialogue. The Libyan question is not easy, and we need a comprehensive solution providing guarantees to the two sides," he told reporters.
His counterpart from Tobruk, Mohamed Ali Chouaib, insisted on the legitimacy of the elected parliament, which is internationally recognized.
"There is no question of discussing legitimacy. Parliament was elected in free elections held according to international norms," he said.
Libya has been plagued by chaos since the end of its 2011 revolt, with heavily armed militias battling for control of its cities and oil wealth and now the rival parliaments and their governments vying for power.
The political vacuum has allowed jihadist groups to gain a toehold in the vast, oil-rich North African country.
IS has claimed several attacks in Libya, including a January assault on a luxury Tripoli hotel that killed nine people, five of them foreigners, and the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians, mostly Egyptians.
Leon has struggled to bring the rival parliaments closer together, with Morocco hosting a first round of talks on March 6. He warned Friday that failure to strike a deal could spell danger for Libya and the region.
"It’s not only about Libya but about the region, the wider region. But Libya is today a critical case. So, something has to be done regarding terrorism," he said.
"And parties should be aware that this is the decisive movement and if they are not able to take the right decisions Libya will go back to war again and we know this is a war that nobody can win."
Source: Agence France Presse
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