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Libya envoys to vote on key proposal for new executive: UNThe talks, held first in Tunis and now in Geneva, are designed to pave the way for elections on December 24
AFP
Last Updated IST
Representative Image. Credit: Getty Images
Representative Image. Credit: Getty Images

Envoys at talks aimed at ending nearly a decade of war in Libya will vote Monday on a mechanism to choose an interim executive that would govern until polls in December, a top UN official said.

The talks, held first in Tunis and now in Geneva, are designed to pave the way for elections on December 24. Libya has been torn apart by civil war since the ousting of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

"The plenary will vote on this mechanism on Monday," Stephanie Williams, head of the United Nations support mission in Libya, told journalists on Saturday.

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Monday's vote concerns a "temporary unified executive authority that will be replaced by a permanently democratically elected government, chosen by the Libyan people on December 24 of this year," said Williams.

"It embodies the principles of full inclusivity, transparency and fair representation across regions and within different population groups," she said.

"As I have repeatedly stated, this is a Libyan-Libyan solution. Our role is to support and facilitate."

Libya was thrown into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Kadhafi.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) controls Tripoli and most of the west, while a rival administration dominated by military strongman Khalifa Haftar controls Benghazi and the east.

A fragile ceasefire between the two sides, agreed in Geneva last October, has largely held despite a threat by Haftar last month to resume fighting.

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(Published 17 January 2021, 09:16 IST)