Image: Bloomberg
Rival Libyan leaders at a meeting on Tuesday resolved conflict on a common text calling.
The agreement between Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar will benefit the Libyan people by unifying the North African crude producer’s divided oil company and armed forces, and holding elections “as soon as possible.”
The joint statement was read with the head of the country’s United Nations-backed government, Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj; Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar; French President Emmanuel Macron; and UN special negotiator Ghassan Salame standing side-by-side after talks at a chateau near Paris.
French officials said the meeting at the Chateau de la Celle west of Paris was the first to produce a common text between the two men.
“There is a political legitimacy that’s in the hands of Prime Minister Al-Serraj and a military legitimacy that’s held by General Haftar,” Macron said. “They have decided to work together on a political process, on a security process, and for a unified economy that will benefit the Libyan people.”
“The Libyan people need this peace, and the Mediterranean deserves this peace,” Macron said. “We are directly affected.”
