Libya's Presidential Council head, legislative chief hold talks in Cairo

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The chairman of Libya's Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi, on Thursday discussed recent political developments with the country's parliament speaker in a meeting in Ciaro.

Presidential Council spokesperson Najwa Wahiba said in a statement that Menfi and legislative chief Aguila Saleh reviewed the efforts to draft a new Constitution by a joint committee of Libya's High Council of State and House of Representatives.

Wahiba also noted that the Presidential Council was close to finalizing a project for Libya's national reconciliation after years of civil conflict, an issue that was also on the agenda of the Menfi-Salef meeting.

Early on Thursday, the head of the High Council of State, Khalid al-Mishri, said he was invited by UN special adviser on Libya Stephanie Williams to meet with Saleh and review conflicting points on the country's political and constitutional path.

The High Council of State, which acts as a senate and is based in the capital Tripoli, is a rival to the eastern-based parliament known as the House of Representatives.

"What is important is to see that the other partner is serious about reaching national consensus to end the transitional period in Libya," al-Mishri said.

The third and last UN-sponsored Libya talks kicked off in Cairo on Sunday in an effort to reach consensus on the constitutional framework to hold long-awaited elections in the North African nation.

Libyans are still waiting for the stalled polls to take place in the hopes that the vote will contribute to ending years of armed conflict that have plagued the oil-rich country.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar