The meetings of the Joint Military Committee (5 + 5), representing the Government of National Unity and retired Major General Khalifa Haftar, were launched in the city of Sirte (central Libya), in the presence of the United Nations mission in Libya.
The meetings will discuss mechanisms for opening the coastal road linking eastern and western Libya, especially those related to security arrangements.
And the Libyan Prime Minister, Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, announced the reopening of the coastal road between the east and the west yesterday, Sunday, and he said – in a tweet on Twitter – “Libya will turn a page of the suffering of the Libyan people today, and will take a new step in construction, stability and unity.”
He
The US Embassy in Libya welcomed Dabaiba’s announcement, and said the opening of the coastal road is important at a time when the international community prepares to meet in Berlin.
In a statement via Facebook, the embassy called on Libyans and foreign powers alike to focus on promoting stability through actions; Such as allowing this road to remain open, and paving the way for the Libyans to take full control of their own affairs, including the elections scheduled for next December.
On the other hand, Haftar’s forces refused to open the road, describing it as a unilateral step, explaining that only the body authorized to take this decision is the Joint Military Commission.
Berlin Conference
In a related context, the Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Hossam Zaki, headed a delegation today, Monday, to Germany to participate in the activities of the “Berlin 2” conference on Libya, which begins on Wednesday, and it is scheduled that the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, will join the delegation. Tomorrow is Tuesday.
The participation of the Arab League comes within the participation of a number of organizations in the conference, to which the German Foreign Ministry invited, within the framework of its keenness to support efforts to impose stability on Libyan lands, and to discuss the next steps needed to achieve lasting stability in Libya and prepare for elections.
The “Berlin 1” conference on Libya was held on January 19, 2020, in the presence of a number of leaders of Libya, countries, and regional and international organizations.