Libya: UN-facilitated political dialogue set to begin next week

The talks, which have been underway in Skhirat, Morocco, are set to resume on 10 August. During the previous session, a number of Libyan leaders had initialled a political agreement that would allow the country to complete the transition that started in 2011.

Underscoring the significant progress achieved to date within the framework of the dialogue process, León is urging the parties “to redouble their efforts and continue working together towards narrowing existing differences and forging a common platform that can form the basis for a peaceful resolution of the political and military conflict in Libya,” said a news release issued by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

León, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNSMIL, acknowledged that while some of the parties continue to have reservations about what has been achieved to date, it is important for all parties to continue working on jointly addressing and resolving these concerns within the framework of the dialogue process.

He also stressed that any final political settlement will also include guarantees designed to reassure the different parties regarding any outstanding concerns they might continue to have.

The ongoing fighting in Libya has provoked a growing displacement crisis within the country with the number of people displaced almost doubling from an estimated 230,000 last September to more than 434,000, according to the UN’s refugee agency.

Source: UNSMIL