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Egypt, Libya Aim to End Political Stalemate

The head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, with the Egyptian delegation (GNU)
The head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, with the Egyptian delegation (GNU)
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Egypt, Libya Aim to End Political Stalemate

The head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, with the Egyptian delegation (GNU)
The head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, with the Egyptian delegation (GNU)

An Egyptian high-level intelligence delegation arrived in Libya to discuss cooperation with the Government of National Unity (GNU), chaired by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh.

Dbeibeh's media office announced Thursday that he had met a high-ranking Egyptian intelligence delegation and officials as part of a visit to end the political stalemate.

Libyan political analyst Idris Ahmeed described the visit as "important" and a shift in security cooperation between Cairo and Tripoli.

The two parties discussed the results of the Egyptian-Libyan joint committee, launched two years ago, during which Dbeibeh met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

After the meeting, Dbeibeh discussed in separate meetings with government representatives launching projects implemented by the consortium of Egyptian companies after assigning construction sites, completing employment procedures, and equipping their headquarters.

The consortium comprises Orascom Construction, Pioneers of Modern Engineering, and Hassan Allam Construction.

The two parties also discussed the steps taken by Egypt to facilitate visas for Libyan citizens.

Earlier, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the recent development with his Libyan counterpart, Naglaa al-Mangoush, during the Arab ministerial preparatory meeting for the Arab League Summit.

Observers said the meeting aimed to end the stalemate in the relations between Egypt and Libya after the September 2022 incident when Shoukry withdrew from the inaugural session of the Arab League meeting at the level of foreign ministers in protest against Mangoush, who was presiding it.

Meanwhile, Libyan Minister of Transportation Mohamed Salem al-Shahoubi reviewed air transport between the two countries with the Deputy Head of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, Essam Kishk.

Shahoubi praised the "satisfactory" rate and number of flights between Egypt and Libya after they stopped entirely in 2021.

Furthermore, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL, Abdoulaye Bathily, received a GNU liaison team headed by the Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs, Walid al-Lafi.

The liaison team presented a cooperation proposal in support of the electoral process.

The meeting addressed supporting the cooperation between the government and UNSMIL to implement several programs that contribute to the success of the expected electoral process.

Bathily and the UNMSIL team were briefed on the efforts of the GNU Ministerial Committee to Support Elections and the various activities implemented in coordination with the High National Elections Commission.

Lafi also touched on the government's efforts to establish the General Authority for Monitoring Media Content to provide a safer media environment for elections.

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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).

Communication channels have been opened between the Lebanese state and the Syrian Interim Government. Diplomats conveyed a message from HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to Lebanese officials, stating that the new Syrian government has no issues with the Lebanese state.
HTS said that its problem lingers with Hezbollah, which supported the Assad regime in its attacks on the Syrian people, occupied Syrian territories, and displaced its residents.
A source close to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that the prime minister received the Syrian message “very positively” and began working toward establishing stable relations with Syria. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source disclosed that Mikati had instructed all official institutions to collaborate with HTS, which now oversees security in Syrian territories, and to coordinate on mutual security matters between the two nations.
The first tangible result of this cooperation was a meeting held on Wednesday between a delegation from HTS and the Lebanese General Security agency at the latter’s office near the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley. The talks resulted in agreements on coordination frameworks to ensure security on both sides of the border.
The source explained that Mikati’s primary focus is on organizing and securing the borders. Recently, he received reports from the Lebanese Army indicating that Syrian authorities had closed 80% of the illegal crossings previously used by smugglers. The source described this as a reassuring development.
In a sign of reconciliation, the source close to Mikati noted that Turkish and Qatari envoys delivered a message confirming that the new Syrian government does not intend to revisit the conflicts of the Syrian war or seek revenge against Bashar al-Assad’s allies, including Hezbollah. The message stressed that Syria has no plans to retaliate against Hezbollah for its actions during the war, such as detaining Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon, provided that Hezbollah withdraws from Syria and ceases all military and security activities there.
Further reflecting this shift, a security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that HTS had previously facilitated the safe transfer of dozens of Hezbollah fighters and their families from Syria to Lebanon without harming or targeting them.
Despite these developments, there has yet to be any official communication between the Lebanese government and Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the transitional leader of Syria, even though two weeks have passed since the fall of the Assad regime.
Former Lebanese minister Rashid Derbas commented that Mikati had recently made an exploratory visit to Ankara to understand how the situation in Syria is unfolding. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Derbas stated that the armed factions now responsible for security in Syria face a major test of their ability to maintain stability until a new political authority is established through free and fair elections reflecting the will of the Syrian people. He noted that the Syrian Army no longer has a presence on the ground.
Derbas added that while Syrian statements about relations with Lebanon have been positive, Lebanon must remain cautious and alert to the possibility of chaos erupting in Syria and spilling over into its borders.