Libya rival forces reject UN-proposed government deal

Libya's rival parliament and government have rejected a UN-proposed peace deal installing a national unity government, with one lawmaker saying Monday it would deepen rifts in the North African nation.

"This government is rejected... it will deepen differences between the Libyan people," General National Congress member Mahmud Abdel Aziz told AFP.

The Tripoli-based GNC has been demanding amendments to a UN-proposed peace agreement for Libya, which plunged into chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

In the aftermath of his fall and murder, the country has been ruled by powerful armed militias and has had two governments and two parliaments since August 2014.

The internationally recognised parliament is based in the east and is expected to meet on Monday to discuss the UN-proposed unity government, lawmaker Ali Tekbali told AFP.

However, he also dismissed the UN plan, saying the government it has proposed is one of "divisions, not unity".

UN special envoy Bernardino Leon "wants to impose a fait accompli on us," Tekbali said.

The Tripoli-based government also rejected the proposal in a statement released late on Sunday.

On Friday, Leon proposed a unity government aimed at ending years of conflict in Libya, saying it would be headed by Fayez el-Serraj, a deputy in the Tripoli parliament.

It would also include three deputy prime ministers, one each from the west, east and south.

Leon made the announcement in Morocco after months of tough negotiations with Libyan political players and members of civil society.

World leaders and the United Nations have lauded the proposal and urged Libya's warring parties to sign the deal - the latest in a string of initiatives aimed at restoring stability to the strife-torn country.