Tunis – Head of the UN-backed Libyan government Fayez al-Sarraj said on Monday that there was “no alternative to political agreement” in his country, calling on all Libyan parties to implement their commitments to reach a “comprehensive settlement”.
He made his remarks following talk with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi in Tunis.
The meeting comes less than a month after Sarraj and his most prominent opponent, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, met in Paris, under the auspices of French President Emmanuel Macron, and reached a roadmap deal for a ceasefire and reconciliation.
Sarraj said the meeting at the Tunis’ Carthage Palace touched on various political initiatives to resolve the Libyan crisis, especially after the “situation had reached a dead end”.
The meeting also discussed political and security developments in Libya and means to activate the outcome of the Paris talks.
Sarraj also presented a solution proposed by the President of the Libyan Presidential Council to end the crisis.
Well-informed sources said the Tunis visit aims at “reshaping the political solution map”, which has been hit by various complications at the regional and international levels.
In a televised speech, Sarraj presented a nine-point roadmap, including the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections in March 2018, and drafting a constitution and holding a referendum on it. He also stressed the continuation of the work on the political agreement and the Government of National Accord until the appointment of a prime minister by the elected president.
In March, Tunis hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt, to deal with an initiative aimed at reaching a comprehensive political settlement to the Libyan crisis.