adminSome of Libya’s warring factions have agreed on a framework for a peace deal following months of talks in Morocco, the United Nations says. Representatives of municipal councils and the UN-backed government based in Tobruk initialled a draft deal stipulating a transitional period for the establishment of a democratic state in the country.
But a key player — the General National Congress (GNC), the legally installed government in Tripoli — and its allied Libya Dawn militia were not part of the agreement.
Bernardino Leon, the UN envoy for Libya, said the “door is open to all not present” when he announced the draft accord.
“They’ve also played a critical role in this text. As I’ve said many times, there is no text that’s entirely satisfactory to all parties and that responds to all their demands . . . I’m confident that in the weeks ahead a clear decision will be made and will address all sides and issues,” Leon said.
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Al Jazeera’s Menem Elamrani, reporting from Skheirat, where the talks were being held, described the agreement as “an important step forward but not a final deal”.
“The GNC representative was reluctant over the wording,” he said.
“But it opens the way for the Libyans to go forward in a new period and puts the burden on the GNC.”
There is hope that a GNC delegation might return to Skheirat for consultations on the final points of the draft deal after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
One of the key issues where the parties are divided is the status of General Khalifa Haftar. He has been declared the army chief by the Tobruk administration, but GNC want him removed. — Al Jazeera
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