A delegation from Tobruk’s House of Representatives (HoR) arrived in Cairo on a private plane from Tunisia on Tuesday, according to al-Ahram, a state-run newspaper.
The delegation includes pro-political agreement members in the (HoR) and they are to meet a number of Egyptian officials to negotiate the latest political crisis in Tobruk’s Parliament. Mohamed al-Raeed, the member in the House of Representatives (HoR) for Misrata, said that the delegation came to resume the negotiations taking place in Cairo on the crisis.
In the past few days, Tobruk’s HoR has refused to give its approval to the U.N.-backed government known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is considered as a major blow to its efforts to maintain power in the country.
Of the 101 lawmakers who attended, 61 voted against the government, 39 abstained, and only one sided in favor, according to a statement on the parliament’s website.
Tobruk parliament is known for its support to General Khalifa Haftar, the leader of a militia known as “Libyan National Army”. Haftar is also supported by Egypt, UAE and France. Monday’s session was chaired by the speaker, Agilah Saleh, who is also in alliance with Gen. Khalifa Haftar.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time for Tobruk’s parliament to reject al-Serraj government. In January, “the parliament rejected an initial list of ministers proposed by the GNA, and opposition lawmakers have continued to demand a shake-up in Serraj’s cabinet to include more eastern representation.”
Al-Sisi is one of Haftar’s major supporters and he has repeatedly called for his support in different occasions. During a press conference held with French President Francois Hollande last April, al-Sisi said that Egypt backs the Libyan army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, and is willing to provide training to it. He stressed the importance of supporting the Haftar-led Libyan army against terrorist groups in the country. In the same context, Al-Sisi believes it is important to lift the ban on arming Haftar. In 2011, the United Nations imposed a ban on arms exports to Libya.
