TRIPOLI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan Higher Council of State on Sunday set conditions for participating in the UN-sponsored international conference on Libya in Paris on Tuesday.
"Regarding the French initiative, the Council voted at today's session to approve sending a delegation to Paris, while preserving the constants that the political agreement is the only legal and binding framework of this initiative," the Council's information office said in a statement.
"The elections should be held after the referendum on the constitution, in order to move to a permanent phase. The state must remain civilian, and the work of the military and security institutions must be under civilian authority," it added.
The Council also demanded an immediate cease-fire in the eastern city of Darna, which has been witnessing a violent fighting since February between the eastern-based army and militants who control the coastal city.
Two weeks ago, France proposed an initiative to Libyan political parties to hold a meeting in Paris to discuss a French plan to end the Libyan political crisis.
Despite the signing of a UN-sponsored political agreement by the Libyan rivals in December 2015 and the appointment of a UN-backed unity government, Libya remains politically divided between authorities in the east and the west.
UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, in September 2017 proposed an action plan for Libya that includes amending the political agreement and holding presidential and parliamentary elections before the end of the year.
In a recent briefing to the UN Security Council, Salame urged relevant parties to focus on holding the upcoming elections.
