By Mucahit Aydemir
TRIPOLI (AA) – The sixth round of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission meetings between representatives from the Libyan Army affiliated with the legitimate Libyan government and forces aligned with strongman Khalifa Haftar began Tuesday in the city of Sirte.
The meetings, which are being held with the participation of UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), will end on Nov.13, the mission said in a statement.
During the meetings, parties will discuss the implementation of the permanent cease-fire agreement reached in Geneva on Oct.23 and the establishment of subcommittees to oversee the withdrawal of foreign militias.
On Oct.23, the UN special envoy in Libya announced the signing of a cease-fire agreement between the delegations of the country’s two main warring sides as a result of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks which started on Oct. 19.
Stephanie Turco Williams, who heads UNSMIL, said the Libyan parties reached an agreement for a “permanent” cease-fire in all areas of the country.
Williams said that according to the deal, all mercenaries and foreign fighters in the country have to leave Libyan territories in three months.
Last week, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission agreed on the implementation of a permanent cease-fire in Libya. The agreement came in a meeting in the town of Ghadames in the southwest, which also saw a military subcommittee being formed.
The military committee meetings in Ghadames "agreed on concrete steps to be taken to implement the permanent cease-fire agreement," according to a statement from the UNSMIL.
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz