The expected Cairo meeting between the Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Aqila Saleh and Head of High Council of State (HCS) Khalid Al-Mishri did not take place as the latter failed to attend citing objection of the agenda, Libya Observer reports.
UN Advisor Stephanie Williams invited both Libyan leaders to meet in the Egyptian capital last week to discuss end of political deadlock and ways to hold elections in the crisis-torn country.
Libya currently has two rival governments backed by the two chambers. HoR supports former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha who has established the seat of his government in Sirte while the HCS endorses Abdulhamid Dabaibah who has his administration in Tripoli.
Dabaibah rose to power in March last year as result of consensus between various Libyan parties. The HoR removed him in February arguing that his term came to an end on Dec. 24 after he failed to organize UN-backed elections.
According to Libya Observer, Saleh left Cairo on Friday evening to Qubba, a town in eastern Libya, after Al-Mishri refused to meet him, while a source close to Al-Mishri said the reason for his rejection was the disagreement on the meeting’s agenda.
“Al-Mishri wanted the meeting to focus exclusively on constitutional track and a constitutional basis for elections, while Saleh wanted to discuss enabling the Fathi Bashagha government to work and approving its budget.” The source said.
Al-Hadi Al-Saghir, a HCS member, the media notes, told reporters that the failure of the meeting wouldn’t affect constitutional talks in Cairo, which he said would continue on schedule. He said the two sides are keen on the continuation of talks and on having fruitful results, adding that they could hold another meeting with new understandings by the end of June.