SKHIRAT, Morocco (Reuters) – United Nations negotiators yesterday handed Libya’s warring factions a draft proposal for forming a unity government in an attempt to end a conflict that threatens to push the North African country into becoming a failed state
Western officials say the UN talks are the only hope of halting fighting between two rival governments and their armed forces that has battered the OPEC country since the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi’s one-man rule.
An internationally recognised government has been operating out of eastern Libya since an armed alliance known as Libya Dawn took over the capital Tripoli and set up a self-declared government last summer.
Libya’s turmoil is an increasing concern for European leaders as Islamic State militants gain ground there and smugglers take advantage of the chaos to ship thousands of illegal migrants across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
UN special envoy Bernardino Leon told the delegations in the Moroccan city of Skhirat: “You will be receiving the latest draft of the proposed political agreement that has been at the heart of your discussions over the past few months.”
Delegates from both factions were expected to head to Germany for a meeting of European and North African leaders before returning to consult with their political bases and travelling back to Morocco for more talks.