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Fresh talks of Libyan rivals start in Geneva, Dawn absent

Libyan political factions are at UN Headquarters in Geneva for peace talks on January 26, 2015.

A fresh round of talks between rival Libyan political factions has kicked off in Geneva, with a major player, the Dawn militants, abstaining from taking part, the United Nation has announced.

"They (Dawn militants) don't have a problem with the substance of the talks and they have agreed to participate in the talks. They are asking for the talks to be back in Libya and this is something where the other participants agree," Bernadino Leon, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) explained.

"I am hopeful that they will be involved - they are following, they are very interested in what we are discussing, and I hope that they will join if we can go back to Libya at some point."

The latest gathering is a follow-up of talks held on January 14, in which the feuding factions agreed to form a unity government.  However, the key representatives of the Dawn militia alliance, which has set up a self-declared government in Tripoli did not attend the talks as it demanded that the venue should be in Libya.

Meanwhile, despite the repeated absence of Dawn militants, following Monday's talks Leon said in a statement, “There is a very constructive spirit. There are very good ideas on the table,” adding that “everything is positive."

He went on to say that, “It's an excellent atmosphere. What is important is to build trust."

The talks are expected to continue on Tuesday, gathering participants from a range of groups and representatives of civil society.

On Wednesday, municipal and local council representatives from cities and towns across Libya will convene to discuss "confidence building measures and ways to implement them."

 

Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising against the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi. The ouster of Gaddafi gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions.

The country has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups that refuse to lay down arms.

Battles among the rival militants, who had participated in the anti-Gaddafi uprising, are mainly over the control of oil facilities in eastern Libya.

 

HJM/HMV


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