Libya sides OK cease-fire deal

Pact orders foreign mercenaries out of violence-torn country

GENEVA — The rival sides in Libya’s conflict signed a permanent cease-fire Friday, a deal the United Nations billed as historic after years of fighting that has split the North African country in two. But skepticism over whether the agreement would hold began emerging almost immediately.

The breakthrough, which orders foreign mercenaries out of the country, sets the stage for political talks in November to find a solution to the chaos unleashed after a 2011 Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Previous diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict have collapsed, but the U.n.-brokered deal aims to cement a monthslong lull in fighting.

“I am honored to be among you today to witness a moment that will go down in history,” Stephanie Turco Williams, the top U.N. envoy for Libya who led mediation talks this week, said at the signing in Geneva. But she said that a “long and difficult” road remains ahead.

It’s not clear how the cease-fire will be enforced — given the patchwork of militias in Libya — but Williams said that armed groups and military units had agreed to return “to their camps” and that the deal would take effect immediately.

Foreign mercenaries will depart “from all Libyan territories land, air and sea” within three months, she added, referring to the thousands of Syrian fighters deployed by Turkey and Russia on opposite sides of the war. The agreement also involves the formation of a joint military force and a way to monitor violations, Williams said.

U.N. Secretary-general Antonio Guterres hailed the cease-fire as a “critical step” but said at a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York that “there is much hard work ahead.”

He urged regional actors to respect the cease-fire provisions and the international community to support Libyans in implementing them, including by upholding the flouted U.N. arms embargo.

The U.S. State Department welcomed the agreement, calling it “positive news.”

“We understand that this agreement was reached by Libyans alone, on both sides of the conflict, who are taking decisive steps to reassert their sovereignty over Libya,” the statement said.