Cairo Meetings Conclude: Libyan Military Institution Should Be Unified

Libyan officers in the meeting in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Libyan officers in the meeting in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Cairo Meetings Conclude: Libyan Military Institution Should Be Unified

Libyan officers in the meeting in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Libyan officers in the meeting in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The third round of Libyan negotiations to unify Libyan military establishments held in Cairo reached a semi-final point of agreement on the issue and the relation between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the authority in the turmoil-stricken country.

Meanwhile, Italy, currently presiding UN’s Security Council, announced that the issue of Libya will be on the agenda of the session which will be held on 16th of this month. UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres and his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Ghassan Salameh will attend the session.

Cairo meetings included representatives of the LNA lead by Khalifa Haftar and other commanders of the Government of National Accord (GNA) chaired by Fayiz al-Sarraj. However, the closing statement didn’t clearly state an agreement on reforming the army.

Yet, Libyan army spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks led to a complete agreement between all Libyan parties, adding that most points of disagreement had been resolved.

Mesmari said that the statement didn’t refer to the agreement amid fears of information leaked that could damage the unification, adding that certain parties want the project to fail.

When asked whether commanders loyal to Sarraj had agreed to the unification of the army and reforming it under Haftar’s leadership, Mesmari said that the meetings disregarded the political issues on purpose, reiterating: “Yes, we have an agreement which we will announce soon.”

He described the situation in Cairo as “optimistic”, adding that the third and final meeting resulted in the formation of one committee responsible of drafting the agreement.

One of the attendees of the meetings, Colonel Salel Jeha announced that position of the Minister of Defense will be canceled. Mesmari stated that it will be done but not an exact cancellation, rather joining the ministry and the leadership into one entity.

Jeha told Libya Channel that the meetings reached a comprehensive organizational structure that ensures the stability of the leadership and its existence within a civil state. He explained that a general council for the army will be formed, adding that security and defense councils will be chaired by the president.

The concluding statement also announced that another meeting will be held in Cairo to further discuss the procedural steps required after the parties return to Libya. They will confirm what had been done and all the suggestions that the committees issued.

Meanwhile, GNA Prime Minister Sarraj ordered military public persecutor to begin an investigation with Colonel Mohammed al-Kenidi who threatened Egypt earlier.

Sarraj’s media bureau official stated that the PM was “upset of Kenidi’s irresponsible statements that target a brotherly country.”

Head of the High Council of the State Abdulrahman al-Sweihli called upon Italy, Tunisia, and France to urgently convene to discuss the issue of Derna where 17 civilians were killed and over 30 others injured.

Sweihli discussed the issue over the phone with Foreign Ministers of Italy Angelino Alfano and Tunisia Khemaies Jhinaoui as well as French Ambassador in Libya Brigitte Curmi.

He also called upon the Italian government to exert all efforts and mobilize international support to hold an urgent session of the Security Council to ensure the safety of Libyan civilians.

"In front of the causalities caused by the airstrikes on Derna last night, we stand close to the families of the victims in solidarity with the people of Derna," Alfano stated.

He added: "We call for immediate access of humanitarian organizations in order to bring relief to the wounded and deliver the aid needed to alleviate the citizen`s suffering.”



Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
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Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday met for a second time in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Gaza as Trump's Middle East envoy said Israel and Hamas were closing their differences on a ceasefire deal.

Netanyahu arrived at the White House shortly before 5 p.m. EDT for a meeting that was not expected to be open to the press. The two men met for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday during the Israeli leader's third US visit since the president began his second term on January 20.

Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the US Capitol on Tuesday. He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

"We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu's return to the White House to see Trump on Tuesday pushed back his meeting with US Senate leaders to Wednesday.

Shortly after Netanyahu spoke, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the issues keeping Israel and Hamas from agreeing had dropped to one from four and he hoped to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement this week.

"We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we'll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released," Witkoff told reporters at a meeting of Trump's Cabinet.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.

Trump had strongly supported Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics by criticizing prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies.

In his remarks to reporters at the US Congress, Netanyahu praised Trump, saying there has never been closer coordination between the US and Israel in his country's history.