UNSMIL Launches Libyan Political Dialogue

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) was launched on Sunday by United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams after signing the permanent ceasefire agreement on Friday.

The forum will convene its first virtual meeting on Monday, while the direct in-person meeting of the LPDF will kick off on Nov. 9, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement.

"The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum is a fully inclusive intra-Libyan political dialogue established by the Berlin Conference outcomes, which were endorsed by Security Council resolutions 2510 (2020) and 2542 (2020)," the statement said.

"The invited participants to the Forum are drawn from different constituencies, based on the principles of inclusivity, fair geographic, ethnic, political, tribal and social representation," the statement explained.

The overall objective of the LPDF is a consensus on a unified governance framework to "restore Libya's sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions," the UNSMIL said.

Williams said Friday that the Libyan delegations to the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva have signed a permanent ceasefire agreement.

The eastern-based army and the UN-backed government had been engaged in conflict for over a year in and around the capital Tripoli, which ended in early June with the UN-backed government announcing the takeover of western Libya after withdrawal of the eastern-based army.