UNSMIL’s Bernardino Leon announced that political dialogue between the GNC and the Tobruk House of Representatives (HoR) would take place inside Libya within few days. The announcement was made at the GNC headquarters on 2 February, following Leon’s meeting with Nouri Busahmin, Speaker of the GNC. News reports said that agreement had been reached to start a political dialogue to find an agreement to form a national unity government that would supervise the remainder of the transition period until a referendum is held. Four members would represent each party (GNC and HoR). Earlier in the week, UNSMIL had announced that agreement had been reached to hold the next round of dialogue in Libya. Aljazeera reported that the Humanitarian Dialogue Centre invited a number of high-ranking political leaders, including Mohamed Sawan, leader of the Libyan Brotherhood Freedom and Construction Party, to a meeting in Switzerland. On the ground, the battle for control of the oilfields in the Gulf of Sirte, between the Libya Dawn forces and the Haftar Dignity armed groups, has intensified over the past week. While there are reports of an increasing rift between the Tobruk-Theni government and Haftar, observers think that the GNC has consolidated its credibility and support base in the management of talks with UNSMIL. Some figures in the Tobruk HoR have criticised Leon’s public meeting with Busahmin at the GNC headquarters, which is considered, according to them, an act of official recognition of the legitimacy of the GNC by the international community.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/02/us-libya-security-idUSKBN0L623320150202
http://unsmil.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3543&ctl=Details&mid=6187&ItemID=1994486&language=en-US
http://www.libyaherald.com/2015/02/02/unsmil-chief-meets-gnc-new-peace-talks-soon-and-in-libya/#axzz3QmRXOTJv
