On 3 December, Secretary General of the Libyan National Army (LNA) LTG Khairi al-Tamimi met at the LNA General Command in al-Rajma with a working-level military delegation, which was led by LTC Cook, U.S. AFRI COM, and Major Ethan Orwin, Military Attaché at the U.S. Embassy/Libya External Office (LEO).
The main topics of the working meeting were ways to improve joint cooperation and the coordination of efforts in the fight against regional terrorist groups operating in and from Libya, including through the exchange of information and experiences. Al-Tamimi expressed the importance of these meetings with U.S. AFRICOM, which contribute to strengthening the relations between the LNA and the US, and which work towards achieving security and stability in the region. The US delegation affirmed the American commitment to supporting Libya’s efforts to combat terrorism and strengthen its defense capabilities.
During the meeting, two of the sons of LNA Commander Khalifa Haftar, LTG Saddam Haftar, Chief of Staff Ground Forces, and MajGen Khaled Haftar, Chief of Staff of the LNA Security Units, were sitting to the left and right of al-Tamimi. Moreover, several other high-ranking officers from all three services of the LNA participated.
On 4 December, acting SRSG Stephanie Koury visited the LNA General Command in al-Rajma, where she was received by MajGen Khaled Haftar. They discussed the current security situation and the political process.
On 9 December, Koury met in Benghazi with Khalifa Haftar. They discussed ‘the next steps to advance the political process under UNSMIL auspices to reach an inclusive political solution to outstanding is sues based on clear principles that guarantee the broader interests of the Libyan people, and move steadily towards the holding of national elections and one government’. Furthermore, they discussed the need to halt the adoption of unilateral measures that are – from Koury’s point of view – deepening the fragmentation of Libyan institutions. She stressed the importance of establishing a unified budget for 2025, ‘which would set spending limits and curb the waste of public funds’.
On 9 December, German Special Envoy to Libya Christian Buck and German Ambassador Ralph Traff had a ‘substantial and constructive meeting with Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi saying Germany ‘remains ready to accompany Libya on its path towards national reconciliation, unity, and full sovereignty.’