GNA commander Sarraj visited Erdogan before retracting resignation
Head of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj has kept mum over a recent surprise visit he made to Turkey, raising questions as to whether it was linked to his decision last week to retract his resignation.
Sarraj, who is still in Turkey, has not commented on reports that have linked the two developments together. The reports highlighted his secret meeting with Turkish head of intelligence Hakan Fidan.
Local Libyan media have criticized Sarraj for running the GNA from Turkey’s Istanbul, noting how he has avoided mentioning his whereabouts and official duties in all statements he has issued in the past two days.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the east-based Libyan parliament Aguila Saleh accused Turkey and other countries, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, of seeking to diminish Egypt’s role in resolving the Libyan crisis.
Sources close to Saleh said he had met in Cairo on Sunday with senior Egyptian officials as part of the ongoing consultations between them to end the crisis.
He reiterated his support for the Cairo Declaration, describing it as a main basis for any possible future Libyan agreement.
Separately, acting head of the United Nations mission to Libya, Stephanie Williams, met in Istanbul on Saturday with Sarraj’s deputy, Ahmed Maiteeq. Talks focused on the upcoming Libyan Dialogue Forum that will be held in Tunisia on November 9.
Elsewhere, head of the pro-GNA High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri made a surprise visit to Qatar on Saturday where he met with its Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Mishri paid the visit at the invitation of head of the Qatari Shura Council.
Talks focused on coordinating position on issues of common interest, said an official statement. They also tackled bilateral relations and the latest developments in Libya.
