Libyan talks have a long hard road ahead

Significance

The announcement comes a day after participants in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), which began this week, agreed a roadmap for elections to take place within 18 months. The apparent rapid progress in talks obscures the fact that key questions remain, such who will be in the transitional government that oversees elections. The forum is part of a three-pronged peace process that also includes military and economic tracks. Criticism overshadowed its opening, including complaints that the participant list is not representative,

Impacts

• The LPDF's outcome will affect the other simultaneous tracks, military and economic.
• A successful process leading to fresh elections will help fill the legitimacy deficit which has long hobbled institutional progress.
• The LPDF is a key credibility test for the UN mission in Libya, which has struggled for years to build a viable peace process.