Libyan rivals sign unity govt deal

Libyan politicians yesterday signed a deal on a unity government despite opposition on both sides, in what the United Nations described as a "first step" towards ending the crisis.

World powers have urged the warring factions to break a political deadlock that has allowed jihadists and people-smugglers to flourish since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A group of lawmakers from Libya's rival parliaments, as well as other political figures, inked the UN-sponsored accord in the Moroccan resort of Skhirat, an AFP journalist said.

But even within the two legislatures the deal has caused deep divisions.

The heads of both parliaments have warned that the agreement has no legitimacy and the politicians signing the agreement represented only themselves.

UN envoy Martin Kobler acknowledged that much remained to be done to end the turmoil.

"This is just the beginning of a long journey for Libya. Signing is only the first step on the road to putting Libya back on the right track," he said at the ceremony.

The signing follows a gathering in Rome of a US- and Italian-led group of world powers and regional players that called on the two sides Sunday to lay down their arms and back a new unity government.

Nouri Abusahmein, who heads the militia-backed General National Congress (GNC) in Tripoli that is not recognised by the international community, said Wednesday that the signatories did not represent the parliaments.

At the beginning of October in Skhirat, delegations from both sides approved a draft agreement negotiated under the auspices of the UN, but it was later rejected by their parliaments.

Abusahmein and those MPs who support him are not against an agreement, but say they want more time to negotiate it.

On December 6, members of the two bodies launched an alternative process in Tunis by signing a "declaration of interest" on a unity government, and this process is backed by the two parliament heads.

The country has been mired in chaos since the 2011 overthrow and killing of long-time dictator Gaddafi.