Libya rivals agree on implementing ceasefire deal: UN

Source
CGTN.COM
Editor
Wang Xinjuan
Time
2020-11-04 17:17:27
Members of the Libyan joint military commission pose for a photo in Ghadames, Libya, November 3, 2020. /AFP

Rival Libyan military officers have agreed on a roadmap for implementing a ceasefire deal reached last month, UN acting envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams said on Tuesday.

The announcement came after a meeting of a joint military commission to discuss the implementation of the deal opened on Monday on the home soil for the first time.

The sides agreed to "establish a military subcommittee to oversee the withdrawal of military forces to their respective bases and the departure of foreign forces from the front lines," Williams said.

The commission also decided to "meet in Sirte as soon as possible" and make the central coastal city its headquarters, Williams added. Sirte has been on the front line of recent conflict since mid-June. The meeting follows a "permanent" ceasefire agreement signed by the warring factions in Switzerland in October, intended to pave the way toward a political solution to the country's grinding conflict.

Talks are held in the remote desert oasis of Ghadames, some 465 kilometers (290 miles) southwest of the capital Tripoli and near Libya's borders with both Algeria and Tunisia - far from the power bases of either side.

The commission also urged the UN Security Council to "quickly adopt a binding resolution to implement the Geneva ceasefire agreement," Williams added.

Libya, with Africa's largest proven crude oil reserves, has been wracked by conflict for nearly a decade, since the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. It has since been dominated by armed groups and divided between two bitterly-opposed administrations: the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in capital Tripoli, and a rival administration in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

The talks in Ghadames are part of long-running efforts to broker peace. On November 9, the political leaders are due to hold face-to-face talks in Tunisia.

(With input from AFP)

 

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