|
. | . |
|
by Staff Writers Skhirat, Morocco (AFP) Sept 12, 2015 Libyan peace talks that the UN says could be the "moment of truth" for the war-wracked country have made progress since resuming in Morocco, a participant told AFP on Saturday. "We have reached agreement on seven of the nine points in the political accord," said Ashraf al-Shehh, political adviser to the General National Congress in Tripoli. Libya, torn apart since dictator Moamer Kadhafi's ouster in 2011, has two rival administrations -- the GNC and an internationally recognised government based in Tobruk in the far east. Shehh said the two outstanding issues relate to military and state appointments during an interim period and how to appoint members of the High Council of State. He reported intense consultations to complete the negotiations before September 20. When the talks resumed on Thursday, UN peace envoy Bernardino Leon was upbeat. "We are starting a new round of talks in the Libya process, which we hope will be the final round, the moment of truth for the parties," he said in Skhirat near the Moroccan capital. "We are very hopeful that they will understand that this deadline of 20th of September must be the last one, must be the one that will allow Libya to get out of this crisis." Leon's peace plan calls for a unity government deal by September 20, ahead of the UN General Assembly, with the government coming into force a month later. A two-year transitional government would then work towards organising parliamentary elections. Leon said Thursday a deal on creating a unity government could be reached "in the coming days", but that difficult work remained before a final accord. The rising influence of the Islamic State jihadist group and Libya's emergence as a smuggling hub for migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean have added urgency to the long-running and often derailed UN talks.
Related Links
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |