Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid Dbeibeh will postpone a visit to the country's east that had been planned for Monday to demonstrate his government's progress in ending years of division between warring factions.
His spokesman Mohamed Hamouda said in a social media post that the visit had been postponed without giving details.
The GNU was expected to convene in the eastern city of Benghazi for the first time since its appointment.
Expectations were high that Dbeibeh would meet with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, whose is based in the city.
It would have been Dbeibeh’s first visit to the city since his election. He made recent statements in which he said that the city has returned to the “national fold”, drawing sharp criticism from its residents.
Neither Haftar nor Dbeibeh have confirmed whether they would meet, but sources close to the latter said he was “open to any meeting that would bolster the national reconciliation and peace in the country.”
Separately, the east-based parliament continues to refuse to pass the proposed state budget, putting it in a standoff with the GNU.
US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland spoke with Speaker Aguila Saleh from London on April 23 to discuss progress on elections and on the national budget.
He welcomed the Speaker’s firm commitment to holding national elections on December 24 and his assessment of progress toward a constitutional and legal basis to facilitate the elections, said a statement from the embassy on Sunday.
“The speaker also provided an update on negotiations to finalize a budget that can address the nation’s most immediate and pressing needs,” it added.
