GENEVA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations (UN) official on Wednesday said she is "quite optimistic" about the prospects of a ceasefire in Libya as talks between the two rival groups continue here.
"I'm quite optimistic ... there is an air of seriousness and commitment," Stephanie Williams, acting special representative of the UN secretary-general to Libya, told a press conference, on the prospect of a ceasefire.
"I am pleased to report that the two sides have reached agreement on several important issues which directly impact the lives and welfare of the Libyan people," said Williams, who is also head of the UN Support Mission in Libya.
As the talks, scheduled to last until Saturday, are entering the second day, the two sides agreed to open internal land and air routes.
Amid escalating violence and political division, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011.
The situation of chaos escalated in 2014, splitting power between the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli and the House of Representatives allied with the eastern-based Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar. Enditem