The U.S. special envoy to Libya capped a flurry of high-level meetings across the fractured North African nation this week by discussing the potential reopening of the American Embassy in Tripoli with interim government officials, according to statements.
Richard Norland met Thursday with Foreign Minister Taher Al-Baaour of the Interim Government of National Unity at its headquarters in the Libyan capital. Their talks covered “resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli in the near future,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The two sides also addressed the escalating violence in Gaza and “the importance of joint coordination and efforts to reduce the escalation” there, the ministry statement added.
Norland and Al-Baaour affirmed the strategic partnership between Libya and the United States, and their cooperation in supporting peace, stability and elections in the oil-rich nation torn by a decade of turmoil since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising.
In the 48 hours prior, Norland held a whirlwind series of meetings with key political and economic players from across Libya’s divisions. This included talks with the Misrata municipal council, the National Oil Corporation chief, and Mohamed al-Menfi, head of the Presidency Council.
His agenda prioritized protecting Libya’s sovereignty, restoring a UN-led political process toward national elections, transparent economic governance and expanding U.S-Libyan energy cooperation.
Norland agreed with the central bank governor on “the need for effective, transparent and unified management of public resources” to enable sound monetary policies, the U.S. Embassy said.
The intensive diplomacy comes amid reports that European powers are pursuing fresh efforts toward a negotiated solution to reintegrate Libya’s fragmenting security forces.
The French intelligence outlet Africa Intelligence reported this week that Paris is preparing to host a mini-summit on Libya with Britain, the U.S. and Italy – with forming joint military border units at the top of the agenda.