By Tarek El-Tablawy – Bloomberg.com
A resident walks amidst the rubble of a building that was damaged in the residential neighborhood of Znatah in Tripoli, Libya, on May 1.
Photographer: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images
The United Nations mission to Libya says the Tripoli-based internationally-recognized government and the rival Libyan National Army are “fully engaged” in joint military talks.
The mission, in a statement, said the two sides participated in the third round of the joint military talks, albeit separately, allowing the UN to receive their views on a draft cease-fire agreement it had presented to them on Feb. 23.
The talks come as Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi unveiled a political initiative aimed at ending a more than year-long war between forces loyal to Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s LNA. Haftar, who is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russian mercenaries, agreed to the initiative.