Rival Libya parliaments fail to endorse UN deal

The Guardian Nigeria|AFP

Delegations from Libya’s rival parliaments headed home for consultations Monday after holding their first direct talks in months but failing to reach agreement on UN proposals for a united government.
UN envoy Bernardino Leon had pressed the rival delegations to endorse his proposals for a merged administration to tackle a growing jihadist presence in the North African nation, which has cast a shadow over its neighbours, especially Tunisia.

But despite holding their first face-to-face negotiations since March, the opposing teams left the Moroccan talks venue without initialling the proposals as planned.

Plunged into chaos since the overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has two parliaments — and two governments — vying for power, one in Tripoli and one in the eastern port city of Tobruk, which is recognised by the international community.

The delegation from the Tripoli parliament complained it had not been consulted by UN mediators about changes they had made to an initial draft.

“Three key points of the UN draft agreement had been modified without our consultation,” delegation spokesman Ashoh Ashraf told reporters.

Another delegation member, Mohamed Saleh al-Makhzoum, said they would consult fellow lawmakers in Tripoli about the latest proposals on Monday.

The UN envoy had said on Saturday that he was optimistic about the prospects for a deal. Despite the difficulties, “I am convinced that we will achieve a just solution,” Leon said.

A surge of jihadist violence across the region, including the killing of 38 people, most of them British tourists, at a Tunisian beach resort on Friday, has prompted mounting international pressure for a deal.