Algeria has decided to support Libya’s Government of National Unity, led by outgoing premier Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, because “this administration has international legitimacy,” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on Saturday night.
Libya’s parliament had chosen former interior minister Fathi Bashagha as the country’s new interim leader by a vote last February. However, the incumbent, Dbeibeh, has rejected the parliament’s moves, saying he will only relinquish power after a national election.
Tebboune’s signals a shift in Algeria’s position, which remained neutral amid the political turmoil in Libya. It also notably comes shortly after Dbeibeh’s visit to the country on April 18, in which he was accompanied by the top security officials in his government including the intelligence chief and the head of internal security service.
“It is the Dbeibeh government that has international legitimacy and we support international legitimacy,” Tebboune told Algerian press in an interview.
He also revealed Dbeibeh requested that Algeria host an international conference on Libya during his visit to Algiers last week. However, Tebboune declined the request for the time being, but left the door open for a conference in the future “as long as this does not cause divisions among the Arab countries”.