LIBYA KEEPS TALKING

Egypt insists on role as mediator despite talks’ stumble this week,

Egypt is seeking to build on its Libya mediation process despite failing to persuade the head of Tripoli’s UN-supported Government of National Accord and the country’s key military commander to meet on Tuesday. Although GNA prime minister Fayez Al Sarraj and eastern army commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar arrived in Cairo, there was no meeting.

But Egypt’s chief- of- staff Lt Gen Mahmoud Hegazy spent Tuesday shuttling between the two men, who agreed on the formation of a committee to discuss changing the terms of the peace deal for Libya brokered by the UN in 2015.

Mr Al Sarraj left Egypt on Tuesday night.

Col Tamer Al Rifai, an Egyptian army spokesman, said the men agreed the committee should study changes to the agreement, which gives a mandate for the creation of a unity government, with the aim of paving the way for elections next year.

Discussions are expected to continue this week with Agila Saleh, president of Libya’s House of Representatives parliament, based in Tobruk, meeting Egyptian officials in Cairo. Mr Saleh is to meet the head of the Arab League today and may also have discussions with Mr Al Serraj.

At issue is Libya’s unity government structure, which was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in December 2015 but which has failed to bring peace to the country. The key to the Libyan Political Agreement is a nine- strong presidency heading the GNA, with parliament acting as its legislature. But this presidency, operating in Tripoli since March 30 last year, has failed to win widespread acceptance.

Two of the presidency’s nine members, both supporting the parliament, continue to boycott presidency sessions, and parliament itself has failed to agree to either the Libyan Political Agreement or on the makeup of several cabinets proposed by Mr Al Serraj.

Egypt’s invitation for Al Sarraj and Field Marshal Haftar to meet was an attempt to ironout a key sticking point in the UN plan, which is who should command Libya’s armed forces. Parliament insists it should make that choice, not the presidency, but its decision to back Field Marshal Haftar as armed forces chief has drawn fierce opposition from rival groups. Libya Dialogue, the UNchaired commission that designed the Libyan Political Agreement, has begun discussing changes to the presidency, with one option under discussion being to strip it down from nine members to three.

The urgency for reform comes with Libya sinking deeper into chaos. Rival militias sporadically clash in the capital, while Field Marshall Haftar’s Libyan National Army continues to battle militias in Benghazi.

In October, the World Bank warned Libya’s economy was near collapse.