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Political Rivals Reach Framework for Libya Peace


Awad Mohammed Abdul-Sadiq (L), the first deputy head of the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC), and Ibrahim Fethi Amish from the internationally recognized House of Representatives sign documents after reaching an agreement on ending the political deadlock in Libya following a meeting in the Tunisian town of Gammarth, on the outskirts of Tunis, Dec. 6, 2015.
Awad Mohammed Abdul-Sadiq (L), the first deputy head of the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC), and Ibrahim Fethi Amish from the internationally recognized House of Representatives sign documents after reaching an agreement on ending the political deadlock in Libya following a meeting in the Tunisian town of Gammarth, on the outskirts of Tunis, Dec. 6, 2015.

Rival factions in Libya's ongoing civil war say they have reached an agreement to end a political deadlock that has crippled the country for years.

If approved by the parliaments of the internationally recognized government based in Tobruk and its opposition in Tripoli, the deal announced in Tunisia on Sunday will resolve a crisis that has divided the country since the overthrow of Moammar Qaddafi.

"This is a historic moment the Libyans were waiting for, the Arabs were waiting for and the world was waiting for," Mohammed Awad Abdul-Sadiq, the first deputy head of the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC), told the French news agency, AFP, after the talks.

Al-Arabiya reports the framework calls for a ten-person committee to form a unity government.

Following a defeat at the polls last year, militias linked to several Islamist parties commandeered the capital and its political institutions, pushing the Libyan House of Representatives and senior officials east to the city of Tobruk.

In addition to political upheaval, Libya faces threats from Islamic State militants in several areas.

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