UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed a political agreement signed by a number of Libyan factions as the first step towards restoring peace in the North African country.  

In a statement on Sunday, Ban's spokesperson said that the secretary general looks forward to “the speedy conclusion of the full agreement and its implementation.”

“The act is a clear demonstration of political will and courage and brings the country one step closer to resolving the current institutional and security crisis,” the spokesperson continued.

Representatives from some political parties and the UN-backed government based in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk initialed the peace draft deal in the Moroccan resort of Skhirat on Sunday.

But the General National Congress (GNC), which is based in the capital, Tripoli, had no representatives at the signing ceremony, saying the draft deal was not "satisfactory."

UN Special Envoy Bernardino Leon told the signing ceremony that the agreement is “an important step in the road of peace in Libya”, adding that the door will be open for “those who have chosen not to be here.”

"They have also played a critical role in this text. As I have said many times, there is no text that is entirely satisfactory to all parties and that responds to all their demands... I am confident that in the weeks ahead a clear decision will be made and will address all sides and issues," Leon said.

The UN-brokered deal seeks to provide rival groups with a framework to begin a transitional period of one year in Libya.

The deal seeks to end the political crisis and a military rivalry in Libya which has gripped the divided North African country since 2011, when Libya witnessed chaos following the uprising against former longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.