Algeria and Morocco are competing to play the leading role in mediation efforts to solve the crises in Mali and Libya, the Anadolu Agency reported Algerian experts as saying.

Spain said on Monday the European Union should consider an oil embargo and freezing of Libyan central bank assets if U.N.-brokered talks to resolve the country’s political crisis failed.

The UN Special Envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, has been trying to herd the scattered Libyan politicians of all political shades around the table in order to negotiate a peace treaty of sorts, put an end to the fighting, and establish a unity government that can keep the country together …

EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini proposed to send a team to Libya to monitor a ceasefire or to protect airports and other infrastructure.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino Leon, held on Friday 13 March 2015 meetings with participants to the Libyan political dialogue.

The United Nations has resumed a new round of negotiations in Libya to resolve the crisis in the chaotic country but without the Tobruk-based internationally recognized Libyan parliament which sought a delay.

UN Security Council member Spain called Thursday for a deal to end unrest in Libya within weeks and said a UN resolution would be needed to approve any NATO intervention there.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche has said that Egyptian proposals to establish an anti-terrorism Arab force were both “unrealistic and unsuccessful.”

Following two days of Libya talks held in Algeria, the participants affirmed commitment to reject all forms of foreign interference and to combine efforts in a struggle against terrorist groups including the Islamic State (ISIL), the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Wednesday.

Could Russia participate in a naval blockade to prevent arms shipments to anti-government fighters in Libya? Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, told Russia’s official news agency Tass, “I would not rule this out.” About a week later, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt “would welcome contributions …