UN welcomes 7th round of Libya's Joint Military Commission talks

TRIPOLI, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Thursday welcomed the 7th round of talks of the Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) held in the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli.

"UNSMIL welcomes the convening of the 7th round of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) at its headquarters in Sirte, from Feb. 4 to 7, to continue the planning for the implementation of the cease-fire agreement signed on Oct. 23, 2020 in Geneva," UNSMIL said in a statement.

The meeting will focus on expediting the opening of the coastal road to enable safe passage of citizens and goods, building on the progress achieved in previous rounds of the JMC talks, according to the statement.

Demining experts from both sides, in addition to UNSMIL staff, will attend the meeting to provide technical support and discuss the way forward to clear mines and remnants of war in the areas under the control of each party, it said.

The Commission will also finalize discussions with the UNSMIL on the necessary requirements for the deployment of UN monitors in support of the Libyan cease-fire monitoring and verification mechanism.

The east-based army and the UN-backed government had been engaged in a deadly armed conflict for more than a year in and around Tripoli, which ended in early June 2020 with the UN-backed government announcing its takeover of all western Libya after withdrawal of the east-based army.

In October 2020, the Libyan delegations to the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva signed a permanent cease-fire agreement.

In November 2020, the Commission agreed on terms for the cease-fire implementation, which includes returning all forces back to their camps, exchanging all prisoners, removing landmines in cooperation with the UN teams and Libya's General Intelligence Service, and combatting hate speech.