Tunis: Representatives from Libya’s main rival power centers are welcoming proposals for a new power-sharing deal and political transition period that would end with elections in about a year.
Speaking after talks that ended Sunday night in the Tunisian capital Tunis, delegations from Libya’s east and west agreed to meet again in a week to discuss forming a three-member presidential council, which along with a prime minister would streamline government form the current nine-member council.
The head of the Eastern delegation, Abdul Salam Nassia, called the talks “constructive,” while his western counterpart Moussa Faraj described them as “positive and serious.”
Libya plunged into chaos following a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ended with the killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
A major sticking point in talks remains who will command the national army.
The diplomatic efforts come alongside an ongoing battle with Daesh militants. Although the terrorist group was thought to have been largely defeated earlier this year, a US air strike targeted a pocket of Daesh militants last week.
Observers worry the militants could be regrouping.
