On Sunday, the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita called for a practical dialogue that prepares for a peace agreement between the Libyan warring parties in order to get Libya out of the crisis.
In press statements, Bourita said that Libya’s stability would positively affect that of Morocco, noting that the dialogue between parties to the Libyan conflict represents the way to “trust-building, the maturation of ideas and reaching understandings.”
He confirmed that the Rabat talks aim to “open negotiations to solve disagreements between the Libyan factions, stressing the need to maintain the supreme national interest of Libya.
“The kingdom is ready to provide Libyans with a space to discuss according to their will, and will applaud them regardless of the outcome,” Bourita said.
“Morocco has no agenda or initiative to submit” to the two sides, Bourita added.
The Moroccan top diplomat pointed out that there are continuous efforts to end the crisis in Libya, stressing that the solution to Libya’s crisis must be decided by Libyans themselves, under the auspices of the UN.
The two major parties to the Libyan conflict are the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).
The meeting, held at the initiative of Morocco, which had hosted the 2015 peace talks that led to the creation of the GNA, kicked off in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat.
Dubbed the Libyan Dialogue, the talks bring together five members of the GNA and five members of the Parliament headquartered in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.
Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
On August 21, both parties to the conflict declared a ceasefire that ended fears about a possible GNA aggression against the port city of Sirte, 230 miles (370 kilometres) east of the capital Tripoli, and Al-Jufra, which has a major military airbase.
The Speaker of the eastern-based Parliament, Ageela Saleh, also announced a ceasefire, which was welcomed by world leaders.