(VOVworld) – Delegates from Libya’s warring factions signed a UN-brokered agreement in the Moroccan coastal town of Skhirat on Thursday to form a national unity government. The UN called the move the first step toward ending the political crisis in Libya.

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, chief of the army loyal to the internationally recognized government, speaks during a news conference in Amman, Jordan August 24, 2015 (photo:reuters)

Under the deal, a nine-member presidential council will form a government, with the current, eastern-based House of Representatives as the main legislature, and a State Council as a second, consultative chamber. The presidential council will name a new government in a month and a UN Security Council resolution will endorse it.