Libya: Head of Presidential Council to meet with community in the south

The new head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, has arrived in Sabha to hold a series of meetings with the political, military and community representatives in the south of the country. Al-Menfi is accompanied by his two deputies, Ali Al-Lafi and Moussa Al-Koni.

This is the first such visit made by Al-Menfi since he was elected by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on 5 February. He visited the eastern Libyan cities of Benghazi, Al-Bayda and Tobruk before holding meetings in the capital, Tripoli, on 16 February. This is all part of ongoing efforts to establish a government of national unity led by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh.

Last Thursday, Dbeibeh presented the new government to the House of Representatives, explaining that the principle of consultation with members of the LPDF, MPs and the High Council of State had been adopted.

Earlier, Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the Tobruk-based Parliament, called on the House of Representatives to meet in Sirte on 8 March to discuss granting a vote of confidence to the new government. Saleh said that the quorum will be obtained during the session, confirming that the March meeting will be held in the city, which is safe and free of militias and extremist groups.

However, the (5+5) Joint Military Committee (JMC) announced on Saturday that the necessary forces to protect the meeting of the House of Representatives in Sirte are not available. The head of the committee, Ahmed Abu Shahma, believes that the presence of foreign forces in the city precludes such a meeting taking place.

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