UN Presses Libya Peace Talks under Shadow of Drownings
Local Editor
Delegates from Libya's rival parliaments gathered in Morocco Thursday for what UN mediators demanded be a "final" push for a unity government to stem mounting extremism and a desperate exodus of asylum-seekers.
Rival governments have battled for power in the North African country since last August and just Wednesday an air strike blamed on the internationally recognized administration hit an air base controlled by its opponent.
Militants loyal to the so-called "ISIL" group have exploited the power struggle to launch increasingly grisly attacks including the videotaped beheadings of 21 Christians in February.
UN envoy Bernardino Leon, who has been shuttling between the warring sides for months, said that the reported drowning of up to 400 would-be asylum-seekers off the Libyan coast earlier this week should be the spur for an agreement.
"I really hope that the negotiators that are coming today are understanding that we cannot wait any more and this will really be the final round," Leon said.
"This is Libya today -- terrorism, no control on the borders, people dying every day in the Mediterranean, air strikes ... it cannot go on.
"The patience of Libyans is finished, and the patience of the international community is finished."
The UN envoy called on the rival negotiating teams to thrash out the full details of a unity government, including the names of ministers, to replace the rival administrations in Tripoli and Tobruk.
Leon slammed the latest air strike on Mitiga airport, east of Tripoli, on Wednesday.
"It is an extremely negative move and of course it is unacceptable," he said.
"We hope that there will be an investigation on who is behind these attacks."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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