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UN Calls For Unity Govt In Libya To End Conflict

UN Calls For Unity Govt In Libya To End Conflict

The United Nations has proposed a national unity government in Libya in an attempt to end four years of unrest since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

The country has been split between an Islamist-backed government based in Tripoli and an internationally recognised government in the country's east - with each side backed by rival alliances of armed factions.

The UN proposal comes after months of negotiations between delegates from both sides, who have faced pressure from hardliners and from continued fighting on the ground that has halted part of Libya's oil production.

Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the governments to act quickly and reach a deal, warning that instability in the country was giving room for extremist groups like Islamic State to expand.

At a news conference in Morocco, UN envoy Bernardino Leon said that Fayez Sarraj, a member of the Tripoli-based parliament, would be nominated as prime minister for the new government.

Other candidates representing the country's east, west and south will fill "a presidential council", he added.

"We believe this list can work," said Mr Leon - but he added that "it was not an easy task".

Mussa al Kouni, one of the proposed deputy prime ministers, said: "The hardest part has just begun."

A new unity government has multiple challenges, including an economy near collapse, a number of active militia groups and severe needs for basic assistance.

The UN says an estimated 2.44 million people in Libya - nearly 40% of the country's population - are in need of protection and some form of humanitarian aid.

The chaos has led to tens of thousands of refugees and migrants making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe in search of a better life.

The British ambassador to Libya, Peter Millet, said of the proposed government: "I think there is no better chance, and there is no alternative to this approach and to this sort of government, which tries to balance a lot of different interests.

"So I appeal again to the Libyan people to get behind it and give it the best possible chance for success."