The final peace accord presented to Libya's warring factions by the United Nations is a "new, important step forward in negotiations on a national unity government," Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Wednesday.
Gentiloni also praised efforts by the Islamist-backed government in Tripoli and the internationally recognized leadership based in the eastern city of Tobruk to reach a settlement to end years of turmoil in the oil-rich country.
"The Libyan forces that are taking part in the talks have tried to reach a compromise," Gentiloni said in a statement.
"Now they all need to get back to the negotiating table straight after the Eid holiday with fresh desire to finalise the accord as quickly as possible and identify the leaders of an inclusive, representative government," the statement continued.
Italy stood ready to support Libya's future unity government and would help build "a stable, secure and developed" country, the statement concluded.
The Tobruk government's ambassador to Italy Ahmed Safar told Adnkronos International (AKI) he believed the two sides would reach agreement on the draft "in a few days".
"They have managed to overcome their differences and agree on most of the issues outstanding," Safar told AKI.
Once the rival governments signed the accord, the peace process could begin, Safar said.
"No one should mistakenly think that by reaching an agreement that peace has been achieved," he warned.
Under the UN's take-it-or-leave-it plan, a new government must take over within a month after an agreement is reached.
UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon presented the plan late Monday to the rival governments following UN-brokered talks in Morocco.
Leon did not offer details of the complicated power-sharing deal, which some observers fear will be unworkable.
Talks on a unity government have been taking place for months, with Leon trying to produce an agreement between the two sides that will end to the strife in the country.
Libya, plunged into chaos after the 2011 ouster of Gaddafi, with two parliaments and governments vying for power and armed groups battling for control of the country’s oil wealth.
Islamist extremists have exploited the turmoil in Libya, where the Islamic State militant group has been striking in territory controlled by both the Islamist government in Tripoli and the internationally recognised one in the east of the country.
