U.S. presses Libya for faster political progress

Libya’s Presidency Council chief Mohamed al-Menfi met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Jeremy Berndt in Tripoli on Tuesday to discuss ways to accelerate the country’s political process and lay the groundwork for national elections.

A statement from the council said both sides stressed the urgency of reviving the transition, noting that only a comprehensive settlement can pave the way for credible elections capable of reunifying institutions and ending years of political fragmentation.

The talks also covered political, economic, and security developments, as well as prospects for stronger cooperation between Washington and Tripoli.

The meeting came shortly after United Nations envoy Hanna Tetteh presented a new roadmap to the Security Council, calling for presidential and parliamentary elections within 18 months.

The UN has long been working to guide Libya towards elections amid rivalry between two administrations, one based in Tripoli in the west and another in Benghazi in the east.

Many Libyans see the long-delayed vote as the only way to end more than a decade of conflict and interim arrangements since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

On the economic front, al-Menfi and Berndt discussed support for the Higher Financial Committee, which monitors the expenditures of the National Oil Corporation and the state electricity company. The council said the aim is to strengthen transparency, accountability, and good governance in sovereign institutions.

The committee was established last July amid growing disputes over the fair distribution of oil revenues, Libya’s main source of wealth.

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