Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune and French President, Emmanuel Macron exchanged views on the situation in Libya, the Sahel, and regional and international issues of common concern. This came during a telephone call on Saturday.
According to the statement, Tebboune and Macron also discussed bilateral relations, and prospects for cooperation between the two countries.
On Thursday, Deputy Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Abdullah Al-Lafi discussed the latest developments in the political situation with France’s Special Envoy to Libya, Paul Soler.
During a telephone call, the two parties discussed working to establish a mechanism for distributing financial resources transparently and fairly.
They also discussed the security file, supporting the path of the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee (JMC), and the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters.
Al-Lafi stressed the importance of the national reconciliation project in “achieving stability in Libya, in order to reach a political solution that contributes to holding elections, according to a constitutional basis.”
He pointed out that the PC is in the process of sponsoring a meeting that brings together the Libyan Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS). This is to agree on addressing controversial points, leading to consensus on a constitutional basis that will lead the country to elections.
Soler affirmed his support for the efforts of the UN Envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily and the PC, in order to find solutions that would lead the country to stability and elections. He confirmed that France “supports all solutions that come with a comprehensive agreement in which all parties participate.”
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadaffi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.