U.N. Awaits Response to Libya Power-Sharing Draft Deal
The U.N. envoy for Libya, Bernardino Leon, has given warring parties until Sunday to respond to his latest proposals for a power-sharing deal that could pull the country out of chaos.
Leon told a closed-door Security Council meeting on Wednesday that the responses would help lay the groundwork for another round of talks and played down prospects for a quick breakthrough.
"There is a sort of hope, but let me be very cautious about the possibilities for an agreement," said Leon.
Diplomats, however, sounded upbeat about the outcome, with one envoy saying: "We are planning for success."
The United Nations has been brokering negotiations since January on a deal on the formation of a national unity government.
Leon circulated a draft agreement to the parties two days ago -- the third such document under discussion since the beginning of negotiations -- and delegations were studying it with a view to providing comments by Sunday.
"The international community would like to see an agreement before Ramadan," which falls on June 17th, said Leon.
The envoy said all factions had accepted that there cannot be a military solution to the conflict in Libya, which is also facing a growing threat from the local wing of the Islamic State group.
U.N. diplomats said the Security Council is expected to move quickly once a deal is reached on providing security support and development aid to the new Libyan government.
Libya, which is awash with weapons and armed factions following the toppling and death of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, has two rival governments and parliaments.
Source: Agence France Presse
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