On Monday, Counselor of the US Department of State, Derek Chollet paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He is set to hold bilateral talks with key Emirati officials on the latest regional and global developments, notably Libya.
In a statement, the US State Department said that Chollet’s visit comes as “part of an interagency delegation to participate in the first meeting of the Negev Forum Working Groups.”
He will co-chair the Regional Security Working Group, and hold consultations with representatives from the Governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates, the statement pointed out.
“Discussions will focus on advancing initiatives to encourage regional integration and cooperation,” it added.
“On the sidelines of these multilateral meetings, he will hold bilateral engagements with key Emirati officials on the latest regional and global developments, including regarding the Russian war on Ukraine and Libya,” according to the statement.
On Thursday, the US voiced its strong support for the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily’s calls for a national consensus in Libya on establishing a clear timeline for elections. “There is no other way to secure stability and long-term peace,” the US Embassy noted.
Last week, the US Special Envoy to Libya, Richard Norland expressed Washington’s appreciation to the Egyptian government for facilitating the completion of a meeting between the Speaker of Libya’s Parliament, Ageela Saleh, and the Head of the High Council of State, Khaled Al-Mishri.
Norland said that the “conclusion of the discussions leaves no reason to postpone setting an early date for Parliamentary and Presidential elections. We share the desire of all Libyans to see Libyan leaders adopt the necessary measures as quickly as possible, allowing HNEC to proceed with setting the electoral process in motion. We express our appreciation to the Government of Egypt for facilitating this important milestone.”