Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Khalifa Haftar, commander of forces in eastern Libya, supported preserving Libya’s unity, territorial integrity and stability during their meeting in Egypt on Wednesday.
The meeting emphasized the need to unify the country’s institutions, while the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections was also discussed.
Senior Egyptian and Libyan officials attend
Haftar attended the meeting hosted by el-Sisi. Haftar’s sons Khaled and Belqasim, the chief of staff of forces in eastern Libya and the head of Libya’s Reconstruction Fund, respectively, also took part.
Egypt was represented by the head of the General Intelligence Service and Minister Hassan Rashad.
El-Sisi calls for elections and institutional unification
The Egyptian presidency said el-Sisi had reiterated his position in favor of preserving Libya’s unity and unifying the country’s institutions. El-Sisi said presidential and parliamentary elections should be held.
El-Sisi said Egypt supported Libya’s security and stability, adding that Cairo was contributing to initiatives in that direction and wanted security, development and prosperity to be achieved in the country.
Haftar said he appreciated Egypt’s efforts to support peace, security and stability in the region, particularly in Libya. He reiterated his support for initiatives aimed at ensuring Libya’s security and stability.
UN roadmap rests on three pillars
Hanna Tetteh, the UN special representative for Libya, said in a briefing to the UN Security Council on Tuesday that work was continuing to move to the next stage of the political roadmap.
Tetteh said the roadmap aimed to achieve progress toward establishing a unified government capable of taking the country to elections and functioning institutions.
The roadmap submitted to the Security Council on August 21, 2025, contains three main pillars: presidential and parliamentary elections, structured dialogue, and the unification of executive institutions.
Libya’s political structure is divided between two governments
Masad Boulos, the US president’s adviser for Middle East and African affairs, welcomed on June 20 the announcement that the leadership of forces in eastern Libya was ready to participate in negotiations under a US initiative to unify the executive authority.
An initiative under discussion would merge Libya’s two governments into a single government headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and establish a new Presidential Council headed by Haftar’s son Saddam Haftar.
Political authority in Libya is divided between two governments. The internationally recognized Government of National Unity, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, is based in Tripoli and governs the country’s west.
The other government, appointed by the House of Representatives, is based in Benghazi. Headed by Osama Hammad, it governs eastern Libya and most of the cities in the south.
Libyans have been awaiting elections that would end the political divisions, armed conflicts and transitional periods that have continued since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011.
