UN-backed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum kicks off

ANKARA

The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) began Monday in Tunisia between representatives of the internationally-recognized Libyan government and warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The LPDF is a fully inclusive intra-Libyan political dialogue established by the Berlin Conference Outcomes, which were endorsed by UN Security Council Resolutions 2510 (2020) and 2542 (2020).

"The overall objective of the LPDF will be to generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements that will lead to holding national elections in the shortest possible timeframe to restore Libya's sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions," Stephanie Turco Williams, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said in a statement late October.

Participants invited to the forum are drawn from different constituencies, based on the principles of inclusivity and fair geographic, ethnic, political, tribal, and social representation.

The meeting came at a time of an overwhelming sense of hope emerged in Libya after the signing of a permanent, countrywide cease-fire agreement between Libyan parties on Oct. 23 in Geneva.

Williams announced on Oct. 23 the signing of a "permanent" and immediate cease-fire agreement between military delegations from Libya's warring parties, calling it “an important turning point towards peace and stability in Libya."

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by forces loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The UN recognizes Fayez al-Sarraj's government as the country's legitimate authority, as Tripoli has battled Haftar's militias since April 2019 in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

Turkey also supports the al-Sarraj government.