Libyan government rejects UN power-sharing proposal

 Benghazi: Libya's internationally recognized government has rejected a UN proposal for a power-sharing arrangement with rival Islamist-led authorities that was intended to bring peace to the north African nation.

 The internationally recognized parliament will not sign the agreement to form a unity government because the UN refused to exclude amendments added by the Islamist authorities without its consent, spokesperson Farraj Abu Hashem told The Associated Press.

Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 toppling and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The internationally recognized government is based in the far eastern town of Tobruk, while a rival Islamist-led government is based in the capital, Tripoli.

 The UN envoy for Libya, Bernardino Leon, announced the proposal along with a list of candidates to head the new body on Oct 8.

 The amendments that angered the Tobruk lawmakers would have given the unity government the power to fire all senior Libyan officials not unanimously approved by its members. The Tobruk government saw this as an attempt to remove their fiercely anti-Islamist army chief, Gen Khalifa Hifter, whose forces have been battling Islamist militias nationwide for over a year, government spokesman Ali Tekbali said.

 The Islamist-led government did not officially reject the deal, but said "signing it would lead to further complications" in a statement issued yesterday.

 The Tripoli government objects to the deal because it does not provide sufficient guarantees that Islamic law will be implemented, members of the Islamist parliament said on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.

 Both governments have slammed Leon for announcing candidates for the unity government when they had not agreed on forming one yet.