Tobruk parliament boycotts UN talks on Libya
Libya’s internationally recognized parliament has decided to boycott a series of talks sponsored by the United Nations to find a solution for the ongoing conflict in the country.
Officials in the legislature announced Monday that the members of the body have voted in favor of boycotting the talks.
“The chamber of representatives today voted in favor of suspending its participation in the dialogue,” MP Issa el-Erebi said on his Facebook page.
The new round of the negotiations on the future of the war-wracked North African country was due to start in Morocco on Thursday.The official LANA news agency, which is close to the Tobruk-based government, confirmed the report.
However, another unnamed lawmaker told the Anadolu News Agency that the parliament has decided to summon its representative to the talks, Abu Bakr Baeira, for further consultations. He did no elaborate.
Baeira, meanwhile, voiced his personal dissatisfaction over the “unjustified” move, saying that the decision will not serve Libya’s interests.
“I'm surprised parliament took the decision, which will serve to hamper political dialogue,” he said from Morocco, where he was waiting for a resumption of the talks.
The United Nations has been mediating between the warring sides of the Libyan conflict in a bid to end the months-long fighting that has rendered the Arab country completely lawless and ungovernable. Several rounds of UN-backed talks have been held between the two sides since September.
Representatives of the rival parliament based in Tripoli, which is called the National Congress and is deemed as having no mandate by the international community, were also to participate in the talks.
The two rival governments, both in possession of heavy military equipment, continue fighting each other in parts of Libya as international efforts for clinching a peace deal between the two sides have proven futile.
In an address to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, UN Libya envoy Bernardino Leon (pictured above) said the crisis in Libya should only be resolved through political negotiations. But Leon’s numerous attempts to bring together influential figures from the rival camps have been in vain.
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