Libyan parties ink reconciliation accord in Skhirat

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) RABAT Dec 17 (KUNA) -- Representatives of the UN-recognized government in Tobruk northeast Libya and the Tripoli-based government have signed a long-awaited agreement to end the Libyan civil strife in Skhirate resort to the south of Rabat on Thursday.The landmark accord also got the thumbs up from representatives of independent political parties municipalities and civil society institutions in Libya.The signing ceremony gathered the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Salaheddine Mezouar and his peers from Spain Italy Qatar Tunisia and Turkey as well as the UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Martin Kobler.The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union were also represented.Addressing the ceremony Mezouar reaffirmed Morocco's commitment to offering any political and technical support "the Libyan brothers" might need to restore stability and security to their country and maintain its sovereignty and territorial unity."Morocco will continue doing its utmost to foil the attempts of hostile forces aiming to turn Libya into a powder keg and a source of instability for itself and its neighbors" he stressed.He expressed confidence that the Libyan factions which failed to join the reconciliation accord will do so soon.The Moroccan minister commended the signatories of the historic document for their bravery self-denial and perseverance during the lengthy negotiations.He also spoke highly of the UN mediation led by Kobler of Germany and his predecessor Bernardino Leon of Spain and other diplomats of friendly countries who helped bring the viewpoints of the Libyan parties close to each other.On a similar note Kobler welcomed the accord as an initial step towards building democratic stable and prosperous Libya.The Libyan negotiators proved in Skhirat that dialogue is the ideal way for solving any problems he said reaffirmed the commitment of the international community and the UNSMIL to help the Libyans rebuild their transitional institutions on the principles of inclusiveness coexistence and opening up.The accord which put an end to three years of civil strife culminated a year-long negotiating process that started in Skhirat and then moved to Switzerland Germany Tunisia and Italy.It stipulates that a UN-backed national unity government has to be formed to lead a transitional stage and set the stage for general elections writing new constitution and rebuilding the state institutions. (end) adt.gb