CAIRO: Libyan, Egyptian and US officials met in Cairo on Tuesday to further Libya’s political process and boost peace efforts in the North African country.
The meeting included Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh, Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar and US envoy to Libya Richard Norland.
Libyan sources said that the visit came within the framework of Egypt’s role in bringing the Libyan sides closer and supporting the peace process.
Sources said that Norland discussed with Haftar the upcoming Libyan elections and welcomed the government’s decision to open the coastal road between the cities of Misrata and Sirte.
Earlier, the US Embassy in Tripoli announced that Norland’s visit to Cairo aimed to support the Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December.
Norland urged the need to accept the “difficult compromises” needed to create the constitutional basis and legal framework required to hold elections on Dec. 24, an embassy statement said.
It said the US “supports the right of the Libyan people to choose their leaders through a free and fair democratic process and calls on key figures to use their influence at this critical stage to do what is best for all Libyans.”
The Egyptian initiative for Libya laid the foundations of stability and was critical in breaking down political divisions in the country.
The Cairo declaration — launched in June 2020 by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Haftar, and Saleh — paved the way for the unification of institutions aimed at improving stability.
The Tuesday meeting was the first international event between military and political bodies that aim to reconstruct the Libyan state.
Gailane Gabr, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, said that Egypt has become a “hub of activity in the region” and an “important wing for peace.”
The consultations, she said, aimed to ensure a smooth and stable electoral process in Libya.
Deliberations on Libya, witnessed by the US, are testimony to the success of Egypt’s foreign policy, Gabr said, adding that the exercise emphasized Egypt’s effective role in building peace and stability in the region, as envisioned by El-Sisi.
