Egypt, France to support Libyan army against militias

By Mohamed Mahmud

CAIRO (AA) - Egypt and France have agreed on supporting the Libyan army and preventing the delivery of weapons to militias, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks with French Defense MinisterJean-Yves Le Drian on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital.

According to a ministry statement, Le Drian hailed Egypt’s efforts to heal the rift between Libyan rivals.

Cairo and Paris agreed to support the Libyan army against militias and prevent the delivery of weapons to armed militias, the statement said.

Libya has been wracked by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with Gaddafi’s ouster and death after more than four decades in power.

Following Gaddafi’s departure, the country’s stark political divisions yielded two rival seats of government -- one in Libya’s eastern city of Tobruk and another in capital Tripoli -- each of which boasts its own legislative assembly and military capacity.

Last year, the two rival governments signed a UN-brokered agreement in Skhirat, Morocco, which subsequently led to the formation of a unity government.

The unity government, however, has so far failed to assume its ruling mandate, while armed conflict remains rife between Libya’s disparate political factions.