Libyan leader calls for national dialogue

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CAIRO, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- National reconciliation is a top priority for the members of the Libyan legislative assembly, said National Congress President Mohamed Magharief.

Magharief said on the sidelines of an international book fair in Cairo that the assembly has called on member of civil, religious and political society to discuss plans for a future national reconciliation effort.

"This requires the involvement of all Libyans," he was quoted by the Tripoli Post as saying.

NATO forces intervened in the Libyan civil war in 2011, paving the way for a democratic government in Tripoli. Internal political and security concerns, however, have complicated post-war reforms in the country.

The British government warned Thursday that it was "aware of a specific, imminent threat" to Westerners in the port city of Benghazi. In September, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three members of his staff died after terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Italy recently closed its outpost there after its envoy was attacked, but uninjured, when he left the consulate's grounds.

A mid-January terrorist on a natural gas facility in Algeria was said to have originated in part from Libya.

Magharief said all members of society, both inside and outside the country, were urged to take part in national reconciliation efforts.