Libyan Political Dialogue Round unanimous in rejecting terrorism

The UN support mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday said Participants in the UN-facilitated Libyan dialogue were unanimous in rejecting terrorism. "They strongly condemned the attack that targeted a hotel in Tripoli on Tuesday 27 January 2015, causing a number of casualties among Libyans and foreigners, as well as other terrorist attacks against civilians across the country," said UNSMIL in a press release form the UN office in Geneva. "They emphasized that such attacks would not derail the political process and would in fact create an incentive for all the Libyan sides to forge ahead with efforts to stabilize the country and prevent the terrorists from taking advantage of the security chaos to consolidate their presence in Libya," UNSMIL added. "A united, stable and consensual Libya will be able to defeat terrorism and violence. The participants called on all Libyans to stand united against terrorism and send a clear message that terrorism has no place in a new Libya for which the Libyans have sacrificed so much." The Participants concluded on Tuesday two days of discussions held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Discussions were conducted in a positive atmosphere reflecting the sense of national responsibility and a sincere determination to find solutions to end the political and military conflict buffeting their country. "The dialogue was elaborate and constructive and touched on some of the issues that were agreed upon in the agenda of the first dialogue round convened in Geneva in mid-January," said the UNSMIL. Participants discussed the issue of the formation of a consensual national unity government to ensure the unity of the country and State institutions. This includes the government's mandate, program, the decision-making process as well as the criteria for selecting its members. Participants also discussed how this government could benefit from UNSMIL support to carry out its tasks and the guarantees the international community could provide in this regard and in dealing with anyone who obstructs the political and security process. Participants emphasized the need to expedite the dialogue process in order to reach a consensus formula on the national unity government to end the institutional crisis and safeguard the country's unity. Participants stressed the need for agreement on security arrangements to coincide with the formation of the government. These include a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire along with effective monitoring mechanism as well as arrangements for the withdrawal of armed groups from the cities, particularly the capital, to enable the government to work in a conducive and stable environment. Participants also discussed the confidence building measures to safeguard the country's unity and alleviate the suffering of the civilian population that were agreed upon in the earlier meeting. There was unanimous support for putting in place the appropriate mechanism for the speedy implementation of these measures. In this regard, the participants called on all sides to abide by the cessation of military operations that was announced by the parties and to move forward in implementing measures to consolidate this truce on the ground. This will help address the deteriorating humanitarian situation and alleviate the suffering of civilians by opening corridors to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected areas. In addition to the political track, the participants look forward to the participation of representatives of the municipal and local councils of towns and cities from across Libya who will join this dialogue round on Wednesday in Geneva. Further meetings will be held in the coming weeks and will include representatives of armed groups, political parties and societal and tribal forces. The Mission emphasizes that the dialogue is an inclusive and transparent process driven by the Libyan national interest.