UNSMIL urges Libya's stakeholders to pursue next round of dialogue

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is undertaking a series of urgent consultations with the country's stakeholders to ensure the convening of the next round of talks soon and "not let this window of opportunity slip away," it announced in a statement Wednesday.
The call follows recent political and security developments in the North Africa war-torn state, particularly last week's deadly terrorist bombings in the City of Al-Qubbah and the decision of the House of Representatives in Libya to suspend its participation in the political dialogue.
The Mission said it "would like to clarify a number of misconceptions in recent media coverage regarding the talks" the latest round of which took place in Geneva last month.
The UN-facilitated Libyan dialogue was conducted in a "responsible and serious environment, with a high sense of resolve and determination" with the hopes of reaching a comprehensive political agreement to end the country's crisis and restore security, UNSMIL said.
"Participants and the United Nations were fully transparent during their work on the dialogue; decisions were made by participants after broad and inclusive deliberations and consultations," the statement emphasized,.
It added that ending the "severe political division" in Libya is of critical importance, since its continuation will pose a clear threat to the unity of the country.
"Accordingly, it is urgent and necessary to reach an agreement on a strong and independent Government, whose highest priority should be restoring the confidence of the citizens in the Libyan State, as well as provision of services and combating terrorism, since terrorism has become a real threat to the political process, the Libyan State, and the security and stability of the country and the region," the Mission noted.
Libya's internationally-recognized parliament on Monday suspended its participation in the new round of UN-backed peace talks slated in Morocco on Thursday.