Tripoli-based Libyan Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibah has met and discussed political developments in his country, including stalled elections in the with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf.
The discussions also dwelt on the importance of rallying local and international efforts for holding the country’s stalled elections, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Hakomitna, a government platform to communicate with the public.
The U.S. diplomat arrived in Tripoli on Tuesday from the eastern city of Benghazi for talks with Libyan officials on scheduling the polls.
“The visit came as part of U.S. support for international and local efforts to hold the elections,” the statement said.
Leaf is scheduled to meet Mohammed Menfi, the chairman of Libya’s Presidency Council later on Tuesday.
On Monday, the U.S. diplomat held talks in Benghazi with Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar on holding the elections.
Last month, the U.N. envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, unveiled an initiative for dialogue between the country’s rivals with a view of breaking the current political stalemate.
Bathily, said the mechanism would bring together representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security officials and other relevant groups.
He said the Libyan representatives will choose a “high-level team.” He added that the U.N. mission in Libya would facilitate the negotiations to reach a compromise for holding the polls.
Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich North African county has for years been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The country’s current political crisis stems from failing to hold elections in December 2021 and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who led a transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s parliament based in the east appointed a rival prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
