WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2020) The United States welcomes the newly agreed ceasefire in Libya looks forward to the outcome of UN-brokered political talks that are getting underway with virtual meetings, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Monday.
"We welcome the announcement of Libyans signing a nationwide, immediate ceasefire agreement," Pompeo said. We look forward to the outcomes of the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum and to supporting the transfer of power to a new executive authority to prepare for national elections."
Libya's warring parties signed the nationwide ceasefire deal on Friday at UN-facilitated 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva. The political talks were scheduled to begin on Monday in a virtual format, ahead of an in-person meeting of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Tunis on November 9, Acting Special Representative of the Secretary -General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams said.
"We commend Libyan leadership on all sides for taking this courageous step," Pompeo said of the ceasefire deal. "It is crucial for this progress to continue and for all parties to the conflict to support this success.� As the agreement states, all foreign fighters must leave the country within 90 days and allow Libyans to decide their own future."�
Pompeo said the US also looks forward to the swift appointment of a new UN special envoy for Libya to ensure progress on national reconciliation efforts.
"We call on all Libyans to continue to build on the positive momentum of the ceasefire agreement, and on all external actors to support this process," he said.
The 5+5 Joint Military Commission, which emerged from January's Berlin peace conference on Libya, held its first round of talks back in February. The sides are seeking to achieve peace after years of conflict following the overthrow and assassination of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
