“We declare a cease-fire from midnight [2200 GMT] Sunday,” the army said, stressing however that it would continue to pursue “terrorists,” as U.N.-brokered peace talks resume in Geneva next week.
The army also said it would monitor the situation on the ground “to prevent any change in front lines or transportation of weapons and ammunition,” which it would consider a violation of the truce.
Soldiers “have been given the right to defend themselves if they come under fire,” the statement added.
The U.N.’s Libya mission welcomed the cease-fire as a “significant contribution” to the country’s peace process.
Libyan armed forces spokesman Col. Ahmed Mesmari said the army was “engaged in pursuing its duty to protect the Libyan people.”
He said the military would “ensure the security and stability of the country and combat terrorism” in Libya.
- On Friday, the Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) militia alliance said it had agreed to a cease-fire in the North African country on the condition rival factions respected the truce.
Fajr Libya did not take part in a first round of U.N.-brokered peace talks in Geneva last week, during which Libya’s opposing factions agreed on a roadmap to form a unity government and to further discussions.
The army’s announcement came after the U.N. Security Council welcomed the Fajr Libya cease-fire and threatened to impose sanctions on any party that obstructed peace efforts.
“There can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya,” the council said in a unanimous statement on Saturday.
It warned it was “prepared to sanction those who threaten Libya’s peace, stability or security or that obstruct or undermine the successful completion of its political transition.”
Libya has been sliding deeper into conflict since the 2011 overthrow of Moammer Qaddafi, with rival governments and powerful militias battling for control of its main cities and oil wealth.
- The internationally recognized government and elected parliament decamped last summer to the country’s far east after Fajr Libya seized Tripoli and set up its own administration.
The U.N. special envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, had warned at the start of the Geneva talks last week that they were a last-ditch effort to prevent all-out chaos.
Leon also underscored the threat of Libya becoming a hotbed of Islamist insurgency.
AFP
alarabiya.net
18/1/15
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Libya: UN Mission welcomes ceasefire announcements, commitment to dialogue process ...
ReplyDeleteThree days after the end of the first round of talks under the Libyan political dialogue process, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has today welcomed the unilateral announcements by the parties in Libya of a ceasefire in order to resolve the conflict peacefully through dialogue.
“The Mission calls on the parties to work with UNSMIL on the specific elements of the ceasefire, including the mechanism to ensure compliance with it,” said a press statement released by UNSMIL, adding that the move was an encouraging sign that made a significant contribution to creating the conducive environment for the ongoing dialogue.
The ceasefire comes after a first round of intensive talks, hosted by UNSMIL in Geneva last week, in which participants agreed upon an agenda for talks going forward, with the aim of reaching a political agreement to form a consensual national unity government, and making security arrangements necessary to end fighting and ensure the withdrawal of armed groups from Libyan cities.................http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49829#.VLwGQSwYE9Q
18/1/15