CAIRO: France’s foreign minister is visiting Libya to encourage holding elections in the north African country as part of a reconciliation agreement reached by the country’s main political rivals in Paris in May.
A statement by the U.N.-backed government in the capital, Tripoli, says Jean-Yves Le Drian has met Fayez Serraj, the prime minister-designate of the Tripoli-based government on Monday.
In May 2018, Serraj and Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, the commander of Libya’s self-styled national army, committed to working toward presidential and parliamentary elections and a roadmap to secure the lawless country against terrorism and human trafficking.
Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed ruler Moammar Gadhafi. France was at the forefront of the NATO airstrikes, carried out along with the United States and others.
