Libya's Brotherhood makes bid to end political rift

TRIPOLI

The Muslim Brotherhood's political party in Libya is making a bid to end the country's ongoing standoff.

The bid entails a constitutional amendment by which a transitional council would be set up to run the country's affairs for a period of between three and five years, according to a statement by the Brotherhood's Justice and Building Party.

The council would replace Libya's two rival parliaments, based in Tripoli and Tobruk respectively, the country's largest Islamist party said Monday night.

"The initiative aims to bring together political and constitutional legitimacies," the party asserted.

It referred to an election last summer that yielded an internationally-recognized parliament in Tobruk.

In the same year, however, Libya's highest court issued a verdict calling for the Tobruk assembly's dissolution.

The Justice and Building Party said its bid called for establishing a unified government to replace rival governments in Tripoli and Tobruk after agreeing on the new government's powers, ministries and agenda.

The interim period, according to the initiative, would end with the unveiling of a permanent constitution to be followed by fresh parliamentary polls.

Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since a bloody uprising ended the decades-long rule of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011.

Since then, the country's stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government, each with its own institutions and military capacities.

Vying for legislative authority are a Tobruk-based parliament and an Islamist-led parliament, the latter of which convenes in Tripoli.

The two assemblies support two rival governments respectively headquartered in the two cities.

UN-sponsored peace talks between Libya's rival camps kicked off on Saturday in Morocco.

According to the UN mission in Libya, the warring rivals will discuss security arrangements and the formation of a national unity government.