Libya’s neighbors meet in Egypt to discuss turmoil

By Hussein Qabani

CAIRO (AA) - The 10th ministerial meeting of Libya’s neighboring countries kicked off in Egyptian capital Cairo on Saturday.

The one-day meeting aims to discuss the six-year conflict in Libya, which fell into turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

“There is no place for a military solution in Libya,” Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri told the meeting.

He said Libya’s neighbors agree on the need to maintain Libya’s territorial integrity.

“I’m confident that our meeting will be a turning point for reaching a realistic settlement to the Libyan crisis,” he said.

Saturday’s meeting is attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Chad and Niger along with UN envoy Martin Kobler, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul-Gheit and African Union envoy Jakaya Kikwete.

Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government, one in Tobruk and another in capital Tripoli.

Late 2015, Libya’s rival governments signed a UN-backed agreement to establish a unity government in an effort to resolve the country’s ongoing political standoff.