The United States’ embassy in Libya said Tuesday that a meeting took place in Tunisia between the Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj and military commanders from the US AFRICOM, confirming 218TV report from reliable sources about the meeting.
AFRICOM said in a statement on Tuesday that the new commander General Stephen Townsend and the ambassador Richard Norland discussed with Al-Sarraj bilateral relations and security conditions, as well as the importance of addressing the existing violent extremist organization threat in the country.
Commander Townsend emphasized to Al-Sarraj the importance of supporting a diplomatic solution to put an end to the current conflict in Libya, stressing that the US is committed to open and transparent dialogue on this urgent security issue and that it fully supports the United Nations, US State Department and the Libya External Office’s efforts to promote stability and shared prosperity in Libya.
Talking about the ongoing fighting in Libya, Townsend said is extremely important to ensure the violent extremist organization threat is contained and does not create additional instability in Libya and the region, adding that it is crucial that those organizations do not feel they can use circumstances in Libya to create chaos and further their objectives.
AFRICOM also explained that it would continue to support diplomatic efforts to stabilize the political situation in Libya and disrupt terrorist organizations that threaten regional stability.
“While AFRICOM personnel are not currently located in Libya, the command continues to monitor conditions in Libya and assess the feasibility for a renewed US military presence once the security environment permits doing so.” The statement reads.
The statement also indicated that the commander and the ambassador will later meet with the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Ghassan Salame to discuss ways the US military might continue to cooperate with the UN in support of a political settlement in Libya.
