Egypt FM to visit Tunisia on Tuesday for Libya talks

Karem Yehia, Tunis
Monday 23 Jan 2017

Tunisia is working to coordinate the positions of Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria on Libya to restart the country's progress towards a political settlement

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry is set to travel to Tunisia on Tuesday and meet with Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi, sources told Ahram Online.

Shoukry will also meet with his counterpart Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui to discuss the two countries’ vision on ending the crisis in Libya, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said.

The sources said that Tunisia is working to coordinate the positions of Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria on Libya to restart the country's stalled progression towards a political settlement.

Tunisia also aims to bring Libya's General Khalifa Haftar, Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayaz Al-Sarraj and House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh to the same table for discussions.

The Egyptian FM is also scheduled to visit the Tunisian parliament where he will be received by Speaker Mohamed Ennaceur.

Foreign Ministers Shoukry and Jhinaoui met earlier this week in Cairo where they attended the tenth Libya neighbouring countries’ conference, which also hosted foreign ministers from Algeria, Sudan, Niger, and Chad.

Libya currently has two parliaments and two rival governments, which have effectively divided the country into east and west.

The parliament and interim government in the eastern part of the country are refusing to endorse the UN-backed administration in Tripoli in the west — a prerequisite for the Tripoli camp to take sovereign control of the country.

 

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