Libya agrees to form unified government

RABAT, Morocco

Representatives of Libya's parliament and High Council of State announced a preliminary agreement Wednesday to form a unified government and establish special committees to address contentious issues.

The deal was disclosed by House of Representatives member Sara Al-Sweih at a news conference following the first day of meetings in the city of Bouznika in northern Morocco.

The discussions, which began Wednesday and are set to conclude Thursday, aim to resolve Libya's political crisis.

Al-Sweih said the two bodies agreed to form a joint committee to reevaluate the criteria for sovereign appointments, establish a candidate application process and outline a selection mechanism.

Morocco previously hosted six rounds of talks with Libyan factions, culminating in a January 2021 agreement on the allocation of sovereign positions. It has also been a venue for discussions on Libya's electoral laws and diplomatic visits from Libyan officials.

The deputy head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Koury, announced the formation on Sunday of a technical committee of Libyan experts to prioritize steps toward forming a unified government with broad consensus.

The efforts are to pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections to end a political deadlock between two rival administrations -- the eastern-based government led by Osama Hamad, appointed by the House of Representatives in 2022, and the UN-recognized Government of National Unity under Abdul Hamid Dbeibah operating from Tripoli in the west.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio