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Egypt to hold UN-backed talks between two Libyan rivals

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TRIPOLI, LIBYA – APRIL 10: Libyan National Accord Government troops clash with eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar’s troops in Wadi al-Rabie area located at the south of Tripoli, Libya on April 10, 2019. (Photo by Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Egypt will host on Monday talks between delegations from the two Libyan rivals in the Red Sea city of Hurghada, the state-run Ahram newspaper reported.

The talks under the auspices of the United Nations will be the first for the delegations from the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj in five years in Egypt.

The talks aim at reaching a mutual ground for 5+5 military committee meetings, the Ahram said.

Five senior officers appointed by the GNA and five senior officers appointed by the LNA are participating in the talks mediated by Ghassan Salame, special representative of the UN secretary-general and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya.

In June, Egypt proposed a peace initiative known as the Cairo Declaration that called for a cease-fire in Libya and electing a leadership council.

The GNA and the Libyan parliament, an ally of the LNA, announced a cease-fire in July.

Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments with warring forces.

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