2nd round of Libyan Political Dialogue Forum begins

TRIPOLI

A second round of the UN-brokered Libyan Political Dialogue Forum kicked off Monday in Libya between representatives of the internationally-recognized government and warlord Khalifa Haftar, according to the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Participants are seeking -- during the online meeting -- to agree on the election of the executive authority, UNSMIL said in a statement.

The first meeting of the forum was held in Tunisia on Nov. 9-15, during which Libya’s warring sides agreed to hold general elections on Dec. 24, 2021.

Participants at the forum had agreed on the scope, duties and powers of the Presidential Council, which will be composed of three members, each of whom will represent Libya’s three regions and that decisions taken by the council must be approved unanimously.

Likewise, an agreement was reached on the powers and duties of the government that will undertake the executive power.

A total of 75 people selected by the UN to represent different regions of Libya attended the forum in the Tunisian capital.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by Haftar’s forces.

The UN recognizes Fayez al-Sarraj's government as the country's legitimate authority, as Tripoli is battling Haftar's militias since April 2019 in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

Turkey also supports Al-Sarraj-led government.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz