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Third round of Libyan dialogue ends in positive atmosphere

ALGIERS, June 5 (KUNA) -- The Libyan political parties concluded the third round of their dialogue here late Thursday with a genuine desire to rise above their differences and reach a final solution to the crisis in Libya.
The two-day meeting was co-chaired by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Bernardino Leon and the Algerian Minister of Maghreb, African Union and Arab League Affairs Abdelkader Messahel.
In their final statement, the participants acknowledged the difficult humanitarian situation endured by Libyans inside and outside the country due to the ongoing conflict. They urged all parties to allow the establishment of safe corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid, especially with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan (to start in mid-June).
Recognizing the severity of the situation and the challenges faced by Libya, they strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks that took place in a number of Libyan areas and cities, the statement said. They expressed concern about the upsurge in terrorist acts and by the Islamic State's takeover of some Libyan areas and the imminent danger it poses to the stability and security of the country; they stressed the need to stand united in confronting this danger.
The participants emphasized their unequivocal rejection of the use of force for political ends and recognized the urgent need to establish the monopoly of the use of force by the State to bring stability and security throughout Libya.
They stressed Libyan ownership of the political process and the need to reach a Libyan solution based on dialogue among Libyans, without external intervention, according to the statement.
They welcomed the progress made in the Libyan political dialogue process and reiterated their firm conviction that there can be no solution to the conflict raging in Libya outside the framework of the UN-facilitated political process. They further welcomed the recent reconciliation and ceasefire initiatives by a number of areas and cities, as well as the exchange of prisoners. They urged the main stakeholders in the Libyan political dialogue process to deliver on the aspirations of the Libyan people to put an immediate end to the conflict through genuine political partnership, transparent governance and a commitment to fight corruption.
They stressed the importance of the role of regional states and organizations in supporting the political process and in encouraging the parties to reach a peaceful and permanent resolution of the conflict in Libya, the statement added.
At a post-event joint press conference Leon, Messahel said the Algiers round of dialogue represents a crucial and critical moment in the peace-building process in Libya.
He praised the leaders of the political parties and activists for their strong will to reach a peaceful settlement to the crisis in their country.
The minister added that the participants agreed to speed up the efforts to form a national unity government with extensive powers in order to be able to restore peace and combat the terrorist groups.
On his part, Leon said the outcome of this round represents a bid stride towards reaching a final agreement among the Libyan parties.
He spoke highly of Algeria for its impartial mediation in the dialogue, affirming that the statement lives up to the expectations of the Libyan people The UN envoy added that the UNSMIL is mulling the formula of a preliminary agreement with a view to overcoming the opposition by the Tripoli-based General National Congress to an earlier draft. (end) ft.gb