CAIRO— Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
received Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh on
Tuesday, the Egyptian presidency said.
اضافة اعلان
Haftar leads forces that have de facto control over Libya's
east and part of the south, and is increasingly expected to run in the
country's presidential poll later this year.
Cairo has long been seen as one of Haftar's main supporters.
Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel also took part in
the meeting, Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said, without
providing details on the exchange.
In August, the US ambassador to Libya Richard Norland
travelled to Cairo "to meet with Egyptian officials and... Haftar as part
of
US efforts to support Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections in
December", the embassy said at the time.
Oil-rich Libya is trying to extricate itself from a decade
of turmoil following the 2011 toppling of dictator Muammar Gadhafi.
In recent years, the country was split between rival
administrations backed by foreign powers and myriad militias.
Haftar's forces were routed from the country's west last
year, and the two camps signed a ceasefire deal in Geneva in October.
An interim government was established earlier this year to
lead Libya towards December 24 parliamentary and presidential polls.
Parliament speaker Saleh last week ratified a law governing
the presidential election, sparking criticism he failed to follow due process
and was seeking to favor Haftar.
Sisi in February pledged support for neighboring Libya in
talks with the country's then newly appointed interim prime minister,
Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
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