Rival Libyan leaders Sarraj and Haftar 'committed' to ceasefire and elections 'as soon as possible'

Rival Libyan leaders Fayez al-Sarraj and Khalifa Haftar who are to attend French-brokered talks on Tuesday are committed to a ceasefire and elections, a draft statement said.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

25 July, 2017

General Haftar declared Benghazi's 'liberation' earlier in July. [AFP]

Two rival Libyan leaders who are to attend French-brokered talks near Paris on Tuesday are committed to a ceasefire and elections "as soon as possible", a draft statement said.

France will host the rare meeting between Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the hope of clinching a political agreement to end the years of fighting since long-time dictator Moammer Gaddafi was toppled and killed.

A 10-point document circulated before the talks said that both leaders are committed to holding presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

French officials stressed that the document was one of several working versions circulated ahead of the meeting.

The 10-point plan, seen by AFP, says that only a political solution can end the crisis, backing the 2015 Skhirat Agreement as the basis for a political process in Libya.

The office of President Emmanual Macron, who organised the talks, has stressed that it has modest expectations for the meeting.

A 10-point document said that both leaders are committed to holding presidential and parliamentary elections.

It is the second time that Sarraj and Haftar have met in the space of three months after they held talks in Abu Dhabi in May. That meeting made little progress.

Dozens of armed groups have vied for control in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising in Libya.

Sarraj's Government of National Accord has sought to unify powerful factions but has struggled to assert its authority since beginning work in Tripoli in March 2016.

Haftar's rival Libyan National Army is based in the country's east, and refuses to recognise the GNA's authority.

Diplomatic sources involved in the talks say they are sceptical as to whether Haftar would be prepared to share power.

"We have to hope that when he signs something, he will keep his word," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Last Tuesday, the United Nations called for the Libyan National Army (LNA) to investigate the summary executions of prisoners, expressing concern at the fate of those still in their custody.

A recent video that emerged appears to show Haftar's LNA forces summarily executing suspected Islamic State group fighters.

The two-minute video clip, which has recently been circulated on social media, allegedly shows Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a senior leader of Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), ordering the execution around 20 detainees.