Libyan sides discuss peace in Morocco

Officials from Libya’s rival parliaments sat down at the same table for the first time on Sunday at the latest round of UN -backed peace talks in Morocco – a move negotiators saw as an important step to forming a unity government.
Libya has two governments and parliaments, with the internationally recognised government operating out of the country’s east since an armed alliance known as Libya Dawn took over the capital Tripoli and declared its own government last year.
A new round of talks among the warring factions has been underway in the Moroccan coastal town of Skhirat since Friday, hosted by the UN in an effort to end a conflict that threatens to break up the oil-producing nation.
Nearly three weeks after UN envoy Bernardino Leon handed them a final draft, negotiating teams have been trying to hammer out amendments while hardliners on the ground keep fighting for a military victory.
“This is definitely an important step,” UN mission in Libya spokesperson Samir Ghattas said. “We are working on the text that brings in the remarks of the two parties.”