Libya's neighboring countries meeting convened in Algeria

Cairo – 9 May 2017: Algeria hosted Monday the 11th session of Libya’s neighboring countries meeting. Mohamed Saiala, Libya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from the reconciliation government, attended the meeting along with the United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to Libya, Martin Kobler, and the foreign ministers of Libya's neighboring countries.

The neighboring countries of Libya that attended the meeting included Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Chad, Niger, and Sudan.

The draft statement of the 11th Libyan neighboring countries meeting reaffirmed the desire for a political solution to the Libyan crisis through comprehensive dialogue and reconciliation. It also rejected any foreign intervention or military action to resolve the crisis.

According to the draft statement issued today, the foreign ministers of neighboring countries praised Libya and appreciated their dialogue with Libyan parties.

They considered the dialogue as a fruitful step towards a peaceful solution in Libya. They hope that this dialogue would provide guarantees for the implementation of the agreement and responsible follow-ups.

Moreover, the draft statement confirmed the support of neighboring countries for the reconciliation government and called for the formation of a political entity that represents all parties.

The statement stressed the need to protect the unity of the Libyan army and police under the supervision of the civil authority and the establishment of the principle of consensus.

The attending countries agreed to hold the next meeting in Tripoli to examine the implementation of the political agreement signed in Morocco in December 2015 after including the amendments requested by all parties. The exact date for the 12th meeting will be determined later.

Algeria’s Minister for Maghreb, Arab and African affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, presented at the beginning of the meeting the analyses results of his twofold political tour in various Libyan cities including Benghazi, Misrata, Ghat, and Ghadames that spanned from 19th to 21st of April, and on May 6th.

The head of Libyan National Reconciliation Government, Fayez Al-Sarraj, is expected to visit Algeria on Tuesday as part of the efforts to reach a political solution in Libya.