The UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salameh, expressed his concern about recent developments, pointing to the infiltration of groups from the Niger state to Libya and two major terrorist attacks in the south of the country.
In parallel, speculations emerged over the holding of a new Jordanian-mediated meeting in Amman between the head of the Libyan National Reconciliation Government, Fayez al-Sarraj and the commander of the National Army, Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Libya’s neighboring countries, who met in Khartoum on Thursday, called for preserving the unity and integrity of the Libyan territory, stopping external interference and focusing on southern Libya in the fight against terrorism and extremism and the organized criminal activities there.
In a speech at the opening session, Salameh said that the United Nations was facing difficulties in reaching out to the vast Libyan territory, pointing to the seriousness of the situation there.
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Al Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed said in press statements that the meeting discussed recent developments in southern Libya and called for immediate response to the dangerous situation.
He added that the meeting reiterated the support to the efforts of the UN envoy with regards to holding a conference while “taking into consideration the preoccupations of the countries of the region.”
The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, as well as the representatives of the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union Commission and officials from Chad and Niger.
The Sudanese official announced ongoing plans by Sudan, Chad, Niger and Libya to find a “security arm” to counter the infiltrations along the Libyan borders, and revealed an agreement to form a security committee to maintain security along the borders of the four countries.
Meanwhile, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Haftar had recently made a secret visit to the Russian capital before returning to Amman a few days ago.
Well-informed Libyan sources said that Sarraj would visit Amman next Saturday and would meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II the following day. The sources explained that part of the visit was related to the debts owed by Libya to Jordan in exchange for treating the wounded in its hospitals.
