Egypt hosts UN-brokered Libyan peace talks
CGTN
Fighters loyal to Libya's internationally recognized government regain control over the city, in Tripoli, June 4, 2020. /Reuters

Fighters loyal to Libya's internationally recognized government regain control over the city, in Tripoli, June 4, 2020. /Reuters

Egypt hosted on Sunday a new round of negotiations between Libya's two rival administrations represented in members of Libya's Tobruk-based House of Representatives and the High Council of State.

During the UN-sponsored talks, Director of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel reiterated Egypt's commitment to the UN-led efforts for a peaceful settlement in Libya, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.

"It is time to fulfill the aspirations of the Libyan people for stability through pushing forward the political path so that Libya can have a constitution that defines authorities and responsibilities until reaching presidential and parliamentary elections," Kamel said during the meeting.

Scheduled to end on October 13, the three-day talks in Cairo seek to identify the mechanisms of a settlement in Libya and the framework of a new constitution for the war-torn country.

Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments: the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli and the other in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with the eastern-based Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar.

In June, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi announced a Cairo-led initiative to end the Libyan internal conflict following his meeting with Haftar and Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)