16 October – 22 October: NOC hold meeting with key US officials in Washington

Oct 24, 2019 | International actors

On 16 October, NOC chairman Mustafa Sanallah met with key US officials in Washington to discuss the potential increase of oil outputs, investment opportunities and transparency in the Libyan oil sector. The high-profile meeting gathered senior US officials from the US State, Treasury and Energy departments as well as representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Libyan delegation included the governor of Central Bank of Libya (CBL) Sadiq al-Kabir, the Libyan ambassador to Washington Wafa Bughaigis and GNA representatives from the ministries of planning and finance. During the meeting, the NOC presented its five-year strategy to increase oil output to 2.1 million bpd and 4 billion cubic feet of gas by 2024 – conditional on improved security and sufficient financing.

On 16 October, the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs panel on the Middle East, US Representative Ted Deutch, introduced a proposal “to clarify and strengthen American policy in support of a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the Libyan conflict and to deter foreign interference in Libya.” He stressed that it is essential that the United States establish a clear and principled policy towards Libya to “mitigate instability, stem the humanitarian crisis, and promote political reconciliation.”