Tunisian President: There is no room for dividing Libya

The Tunisian President Kais Said called on those who will lead the transitional period to refrain from running in the next presidential or parliamentary elections.

Kais Said, who attended the talks’ opening ceremony, called the forum “historic by all measures.” He said the UN efforts aim to set “clear measures and specific dates” to reach “a peaceful solution” in Libya’s conflict.

Said called on those who will lead the transitional period to refrain from running in the next presidential or parliamentary elections.

“There is no room for dividing Libya. Some talk about East and West, but the Libyan people are one,” he said. “The solution is for the Libyan people to regain their full sovereignty.”

Stephanie Williams, the top UN official in Libya, sought to temper expectations for the Gammarth talks. These negotiations “will not resolve all of Libya’s problems, but if we fail to solve any of them, future resolution becomes impossible,” she said.

A new government, expected to be created by the ongoing UN-brokered talks, would “launch national reconciliation, combat corruption and restore public services,” Ms Williams said.

Before the talks started, she told journalists: “Libya now has an excellent opportunity which will allow it to get out of the conflict tunnel, if all the interlocutors assume their responsibilities and respect their commitments at the end of this dialogue.”