Libyan delegates began four days of UN-facilitated talks on Monday aimed at creating the legal conditions for elections that they hope will usher in a “new era” for the war-torn North African country.
Some 75 representatives hope to reach agreement during the talks in Geneva on the constitutional basis for presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 24 in Libya.
UN Special Envoy for Libya Jan Kubis said it was regrettable that the issue had not been resolved and added that there was no alternative to leave without a decision given the timetable.
“I urge you to overcome your differences and any relationship of trust, focus your deliberations over the next few days on reaching the greatest possible consensus and work constructively to bridge the remaining gaps through compromises,” he said.
Members should go through a vote if there was no agreement, Kubis added in a video message.
Warring factions have been on a ceasefire since October and have all agreed to a temporary unity government and elections.
But privately, some delegates doubt the degree of commitment, pointing out that armed groups still have power on the ground, which could potentially undermine justice in a vote.
However, several expressed optimism when the talks began.
“The intention is to reach unity that serves the country and takes us out of the crisis and achieves stability and makes the economy roll again to start a new era where democracy, a civilian state and justice prevail”, Majda Alfallah, a senator at the Prime Minister’s delegation told to the forum.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that elections were the only way to ensure peace and stability in Libya.
Recently, a new meeting on Libya also took place in Berlin.
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