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LIBYA-CONFLICT-UN
Libya rivals hold UN-sponsored talks in Geneva
GENEVA, Feb 3, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Representatives of the warring parties in
Libya were meeting in Geneva on Monday in a UN-sponsored joint military
commission, the United Nations said.
Five senior officers appointed by the UN-recognised Government of National
Accord (GNA) and five appointed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) of
strongman Khalifa Haftar are taking part in the talks, it said in a
statement.
The talks are being moderated by the UN’s Libya envoy Ghassan Salame, who
last week lashed out at what he branded “unscrupulous” foreign players for
meddling in the conflict in the North African country.
At a summit in the German capital last month, world leaders committed to
ending all foreign interference and to upholding a weapons embargo to help
end the long-running civil war.
Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed
longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations vying for
power.
The conflict deepened last year when Haftar, who controls much of the south
and east of Libya, launched an assault in April to seize Tripoli, the base of
the GNA led by Fayez al-Sarraj.
BSS/AFP/SSS/2029 hrs