UN envoy says talks continue with warring factions

The U.N. envoy to Libya said on Wednesday consultations would continue with both the country's warring factions after the chief of the elected parliament said the congress had rejected a U.N. proposal to end the crisis.

Libya is mired in a conflict between its internationally recognised government and elected parliament on one side, and a self-styled administration holding Tripoli on the other, with each backed by loose coalitions of armed factions.

After months of talks, the United Nations has drafted a deal to form a national unity government and has proposed six-member executive council to lead it. But both sides have balked at parts of those accords, stalling any final agreement.

On Monday, the chief of the elected House of representatives based in the eastern city of Tobruk, said the congress had rejected the U.N. proposal. But there were conflicting reports on whether lawmakers had officially voted on the deal.

"In the coming days I will be conducting meetings with the Libyans," U.N. envoy Bernardino Leon told reporters in Tunisian capital Tunis. "We hope to see the majority of the members in Tripoli and in Tobruk approving this accord."

The international community is pushing for both sides to accept the U.N. deal to end a conflict they fear has allowed Islamist militants and people smugglers to gain ground in the chaos just over the Mediterranean from mainland Europe.