UN Security Council approves Libya unity accord

The UN Security Council on Wednesday endorsed a UN-brokered agreement among Libya's warring factions to form a national unity government, a deal Western powers hope will bring stability and help combat a growing Islamic State (IS) group presence.

The unanimously adopted resolution, drafted by the UK, made clear that Libya's future unity government should be the sole representative for the North African country, where competing governments have long vied for power.

The 15-nation body gave its support to the deal signed last week in the Moroccan town of Skhirat between representatives of strife-torn Libya's two competing regimes.

Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, presented the motion and dubbed it "a strong collective sign of our commitment to Libya's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity".

But he warned, "it is only the start of a process."

Four years after Muammar Gaddafi’s fall, Libya is deeply fractured with two rival governments—a self-declared one in Tripoli and an internationally recognised one in the east—each backed by coalitions of former rebels and militias.

On December 17, under UN guidance, envoys from both sides and a number of independent political figures signed a deal to unify the government.

Around 80 of 188 lawmakers from Libya's internationally recognised parliament and 50 of 136 members of the rival Tripoli-based General National Congress signed the deal...............http://www.france24.com/en/20151223-libya-un-security-council-approves-unity-accord
 24/12/15