Brussels, Nov 10 (IANS): The European Union (EU) has welcomed the holding of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum aimed at ending the years-long conflict in the war-torn country.
"The EU Heads of Mission welcome the recent positive and courageous steps taken by Libyans to end years of conflict and division and to move towards the stability, unity and sovereignty of their country free of foreign interference," Xinhua news agency quoted the bloc as saying in a statement on Monday.
It also called for a full inclusion and participation of women in the country's peace process.
The six-day forum kicked off on Monday in the Tunisian capital of Tunis, with UN Acting Special Representative Stephanie Williams and other 75 representatives attending the event.
The forum's overall objective is a consensus on a unified governance framework to "restore Libya's sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions", according to a statement by the UN Support Mission in Libya.
The eastern-based army and the Tripoli-based UN-backed government engaged in a deadly armed conflict for more than a year in and around Tripoli, which ended recently with the UN-backed government taking over all of western Libya after the withdrawal of the eastern-based troops.
They have signed a UN-sponsored permanent cease-fire agreement.