Rival Libya sides hold talks in Morocco amid truce
Solution to the country's crisis must be decided by the Libyans themselves under the auspices of the UN, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita says, ahead of talks in Rabat city.
Nasser Bourita (C), Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, chairs a meeting of representatives of Libya's rival sides in Bouznika, Morocco, September 6, 2020.
Delegates from Libya's rival administrations have met for talks in Morocco, more than two weeks after the two sides announced a surprise ceasefire.
The meeting on Sunday, held at the initiative of Morocco which hosted peace talks in 2015 that led to the creation of a United Nations-recognised government for Libya, kicked off in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat.
Dubbed "Libyan Dialogue", the talks brought together five members of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and five from a self-styled parliament headquartered in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.
"The kingdom is ready to provide Libyans with a space to discuss (issues), according to their will, and will applaud them regardless of the outcome," Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said.
"Morocco has no agenda or initiative to submit" to the two sides, Bourita added.
A solution to Libya's crisis must be decided by the Libyans themselves under the auspices of the UN, he said, before delegates met behind closed doors.
READ MORE: Will Libya’s latest ceasefire bring about a lasting political settlement?
Decade-long crisis
Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The crisis worsened last year when warlord Khalifa Haftar, who backs the Tobruk parliament and is supported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia, launched a militia offensive to seize the capital Tripoli from the GNA.
Haftar was beaten back earlier this year by Turkish-backed GNA forces and fighting has now stalled around the Mediterranean city of Sirte, the gateway to Libya's eastern oil fields and export terminals.
Unexpected truce amid UN embargo
On August 22, the rival administrations announced separately that they would cease all hostilities and hold nationwide elections, drawing praise from world powers.
At a January summit in Berlin, the main countries involved in the Libyan conflict agreed to respect an arms embargo and to stop interfering in Libya's domestic affairs.
But on Wednesday, the interim UN envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, denounced what she called "blatant" ongoing violations of the arms embargo in the north African country.
2/3 Both agreed on the need to stop the escalation and quickly reach a lasting ceasefire agreement between Libyan parties. They called for the immediate halt of all forms of foreign interference in Libya, especially the provision of weapons, mercenaries and foreign forces. pic.twitter.com/xFwUfABI0t
— UNSMIL (@UNSMILibya) August 30, 2020
Meeting with Turkish leader
Sunday's meeting in Morocco coincided with talks in Istanbul between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and GNA head Fayez al Sarraj, the Turkish presidency said.
During the meeting, Erdogan "stated that Turkey will continue to stand in solidarity with Libya's UN-recognised legitimate government, and reiterated that Turkey's priority is to restore Libya's stability, without further delay", the presidency said.
Erdogan also said that "Libya's peace and stability would benefit its neighbours and the entire region, starting with Europe", adding that "the international community ought to assume a principled stance in that regard".
READ MORE: Calm in Libya for now but 'problem persists' – Turkish FM
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