Rival Libyan leaders agree to hold elections by year-end

Paris, May 29 (IANS) Leading members of rival Libyan factions and the international community on Tuesday signed an accord in Paris paving the way for legislative and presidential elections to be held in the war-torn North African nation by the end of the year.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been a leading figure in the global efforts to pull Libya back from the brink of being a "failed state" and had petitioned internationally-recognized Fayez Seraj, who controls the capital, and Khalifa Haftar, who holds power to the east to come to an agreement.

The parties agreed to a ballot on December 10, 2018, Efe news reported.

Macron hosted the rival leaders at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris with top officials from the EU, including foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and representatives from the African Union and the Arab League.

The UN would be responsible for aiding the country, which has been consumed by civil war since the toppling of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, in its bid to hold free and fair elections.

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