US Presidential Adviser for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos has said that recent meetings in Malta with senior officials from eastern and western Libya were aimed at advancing efforts to unify the country’s state institutions, describing the discussions as constructive and an important step toward strengthening stability.
In a post on X, Boulos said he was pleased to meet senior Libyan officials in Valletta on July 6, stressing that the talks were intended to support Libyan-led efforts to reunify state institutions after years of political division. He added that the discussions reflected continued engagement between representatives from both sides of the country on issues of national importance.
Boulos praised what he described as constructive dialogue between the participating officials, expressing confidence that a unified Libya would become more stable, prosperous, and capable of serving as a stronger economic and security partner for the United States and the wider international community.
The Malta meetings brought together Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army Lt. Gen. Saddam Haftar, Acting Undersecretary of Defense in the Government of National Unity Abdulsalam Al-Zoubi, and members of the Joint Military Commission (5+5). A second session included Saddam Haftar, National Security Adviser Ibrahim Dbaiba, and Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs Walid Al-Lafi.
According to The Times of Malta, the meetings formed part of a broader US diplomatic initiative aimed at easing tensions between Libya’s rival political and military authorities while encouraging institutional unification and political reconciliation. Sources cited by the newspaper described the discussions as encouraging, noting that both sides appeared to be moving closer to common ground despite the sensitivity of the negotiations.
Although the full agenda was not made public, reports indicated that the talks focused on security cooperation, military unification, political dialogue, and proposals to advance the political process by unifying Libya’s executive institutions.
Boulos is currently visiting Libya as part of ongoing US diplomatic efforts. His visit began in Misrata, where he met political, security, and community leaders to discuss institutional unification. He later held meetings in Tripoli with interim Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, senior government officials, Interior Minister Emad Al-Trabelsi, and members of the Presidential Council before traveling to Benghazi.
