Libyan’s Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Dbeibeh chose Cairo as the destination of his second visit abroad amid reports that his first took him to Turkey.
In Cairo, he met with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi during a meeting that was attended by Prime Minister Mustapha Madbouli and intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
Dbeibeh expressed his appreciation to Egypt’s sincere and effective efforts on all levels in resolving the Libyan crisis, culminating in rapprochement between the warring parties.
He also highlighted Egypt’s role in supporting Libyan institutions combat terrorism and extremist groups.
For his part, Sisi hailed the Libyans for electing a new interim government and presidential council, saying it was the first step towards establishing a new phase in their country where national interests are prioritized above all else.
Egypt will continue to support the Libyan people in their efforts to restore state authority, peace and stability, he added.
Cairo is ready to offer its expertise to its Libyan brothers to help them return their country on the right path and pave the way for development and stability, he stressed, according to a statement from the presidency.
Talks between Sisi and Dbeibeh focused on Libyan efforts to lead the transitional phase and cooperation between Libya and Egypt. They agreed to hold further talks, especially over restoring services and security, as well as boosting economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, local media said Dbeibeh had paid a secret visit to Turkey on February 10, soon after he was appointed to his post, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, the new presidential council convened for the first time in Tripoli on Wednesday. Talks focused on government formation efforts and the parliamentary elections, set for December 24.
Head of the council, Mohammed al-Menfi, later met with his deputies. A statement after their meeting said the council urges Dbeibeh to complete the government formation within the set deadline and in line with the agreements reached at the Geneva talks last year.
Menfi had on Wednesday took part in celebrations in Tripoli marking the tenth anniversary of the February 17 uprising.
In a brief statement, he stressed the need for national reconciliation, meeting the people’s needs, overcoming obstacles and unifying institutions, providing basic services and holding presidential and parliamentary elections on time.
Separately, the east-based parliament condemned the mortar attack against civilians in Sabha as they were marking the uprising anniversary. A child was killed and 29 people were injured in the attack. The perpetrators are unknown.
The parliament urged all security agencies to uncover the criminals and bring them to justice.
The United Nations mission in Libya strongly condemned the attack, calling on authorities “to ensure an independent, impartial and prompt investigation into this heinous attack on civilians” and calling for perpetrators to be brought to justice.
