CAIRO, Oct 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — Egypt hosted on Sunday a new round of negotiations between Libya’s two rival administrations represented in members of Libya’s Tobruk-based House of Representatives and the High Council of State.
During the talks, sponsored by the United Nations, Director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel reiterated Egypt’s commitment to the UN-led efforts for a peaceful settlement in Libya, Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported.
“It is time to fulfill the aspirations of the Libyan people for stability through pushing forward the political path so that Libya can have a constitution that defines authorities and responsibilities until reaching presidential and parliamentary elections,” Kamel said during the meeting.
Scheduled to end on Oct 13, the three-day talks in Cairo seek to identify the mechanisms of a settlement in Libya and the framework of a new constitution for the war-torn country.
Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments: the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar.
In June, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi announced a Cairo-led initiative to end the Libyan internal conflict following his meeting with Haftar and Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) welcomed the decision of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) of the UN-backed government of Libya to lift the state of force majeure on Sharara oilfield, the country’s largest oilfield.
“The resumption of oil production at Libya’s largest oil field was due to the improved security situation in Sharara following discussions with security actors, notably in Egypt’s Hurghada,” the UNSMIL said in a statement.
“Ensuring the unimpeded exploitation of Libya’s oil resources and effective management of its oil revenues is a shared national interest,” said the statement. “This decision reflects the constructive atmosphere created in the lead-up to the reconvening by UNSMIL intra-Libyan military and political talks.”
The latest decision was made by the NOC after reaching an agreement with the oil company Petroleum Facilities Guard.
In September, the NOC announced lifting the state of force majeure on the country’s “safe oilfields and ports” after the east-based army agreed to resume oil production and exports with conditions.
The east-based army since January has been blocking oil production and exports, Libya’s main source of income, demanding fair distribution of the oil revenues.
The oil blockade brought down the daily crude oil production from more than 1.2 million barrels to just around 100,000 barrels. — NNN-XINHUA
