Turkey-Hosted Talks on Unifying East and West Libya End Without Agreement

Turkey hosted talks last week between Libya's eastern and western administrations aimed at unification, but the discussions did not result in an agreement, a senior Turkish official familiar with the negotiations reported on Wednesday. Ankara is one of the few countries involved in the Libyan file that maintains relations with both sides.

The official stated that the talks, held in the capital Ankara, primarily focused on military unification, with political unification expected to be addressed later. Military officials from both the eastern and western Libyan authorities, along with diplomats, participated in the meetings, with Turkey acting as a mediator.

Libya has suffered from instability since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi and is divided between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east supported by military commander Khalifa Haftar. Turkey has provided strong support to the Tripoli-based government during the conflict years but has seen a notable improvement in relations with the eastern authorities recently.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that the time is right to permanently reunify the rival administrations, hinting at a possible imminent announcement. He stated that conditions are ripe for establishing lasting reunification and that a key pillar would be bringing the military units under a single umbrella. The Turkish official also confirmed that the parties agreed to continue meetings, with Turkey remaining the preferred host, though talks could also be held in Libya.

The Turkish mediation comes as the United States and the United Nations also seek to push for the reunification of the oil-rich country, which holds Africa's largest proven oil reserves. Foreign observers noted that Ankara's and Washington's positions are aligned, with Turkey remaining close to the U.S. Any significant friction, they suggested, is mainly with Europeans, particularly France and Italy, and Russia, whose influence might wane.

A plan known as the "Boulos Plan," named after U.S. envoy Richard Boulos, reportedly proposes that Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, head of the Tripoli government, remain Prime Minister, while Saddam Haftar, son of the eastern military commander, would head the Presidential Council.

Last week, the Libyan parliament based in the east approved a maritime border demarcation agreement with Turkey, reversing its previous rejection of the deal. This agreement had previously angered the European Union, Greece, Israel, and Egypt. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended the deal, dismissing the criticisms as baseless and asserting that Turkey's Eastern Mediterranean policy is clear and does not aim to antagonize any party.