Egypt's Sisi holds talks with East Libya commander

CAIRO

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday held talks in Cairo with the Libyan commander whose forces are currently fighting the UN-backed government for control of the capital Tripoli, according to Egypt’s official MENA news agency.

Al-Sisi’s talks with Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya, concentrated on recent events in the country, MENA said.

The Egyptian Presidency, for its part, said in an official statement that the talks focused on developments in Libya and stressed Egypt's desire to see unity, stability and security in its neighbor.

During the meeting, al-Sisi stressed Cairo’s support for efforts against terrorism, extremist groups, and militias to achieve security and stability nationwide, to allow the establishment of a stable, sovereign civil state, and to begin Libyan reconstruction for the sake of its people, according to the statement.

The talks came amid a military campaign launched by Haftar to capture Tripoli, where the UN-backed unity government is based.

Haftar’s attack came ahead of a conference scheduled for Sunday as part of an international roadmap to tackle the conflict in the oil-rich Arab country before being indefinitely postponed.

Since the 2011 ouster of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is associated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN support.

CAIRO

Al-Sisi’s talks with Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya, concentrated on recent events in the country, MENA said.

The Egyptian Presidency, for its part, said in an official statement that the talks focused on developments in Libya and stressed Egypt's desire to see unity, stability and security in its neighbor.

The talks came amid a military campaign launched by Haftar to capture Tripoli, where the UN-backed unity government is based.

Haftar’s attack came ahead of a conference scheduled for Sunday as part of an international roadmap to tackle the conflict in the oil-rich Arab country before being indefinitely postponed.