US Senior Advisor to President Trump on Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos held a flurry of meetings with Libyan stakeholders in Libya last week, with meetings in Tripoli, Misrata and Benghazi on 7 and 8 July, alongside a delegation including US Charge d’Affaires Jeremy Berndt.
As reported last week, he visited dignitaries in Misrata who reportedly laid out clear red lines for any US-backed political settlement, warning that they would reject any framework that threatens to prolong the nation’s long-standing crisis. Boulos’ readout stressed that Misratan ‘perspectives and leadership are essential to advancing a stable, unified, and prosperous Libya’, adding the USA is ‘committed to engaging with Libyans across the country in support of a Libyan-led path toward lasting peace and prosperity.’
In Tripoli, this message was echoed in Boulos’ meeting with Government of National Unity (GNU) PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba and Deputy Minister of Defence Abdussalam Zoubi, with Boulos framing the ongoing talks as being driven by Libyans saying ‘Libyans are making important strides toward overcoming divisions’ and discussing how the US can help Libyans to make further progress unifying institutions. Dabaiba’s readout was bland, with no pledges of support for the ‘Boulos initiative’ as espoused recently by the LNA General Command.
Boulos also said of his meeting with Zoubi that he had ‘built on our productive discussions’ during Zoubi’s visit to Washington in June, stressing the US ‘is committed to supporting the unification of Libya’s military institutions and helping Libyans bolster security and stability.’ Boulos also met with GNU Minister of Interior Emad Trabelsi, discussing Libyan efforts to integrate security forces within the context of broader Libyan-led unification efforts.
In Benghazi, Boulos met with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, discussing ‘ongoing U.S.–Libya security cooperation, joint efforts to strengthen border security and address shared threats, and the importance of sustaining momentum toward the unification of Libya’s state institutions.’ Boulos expressed appreciation for the LNA General Command’s public support for U.S. diplomatic efforts in Libya.
According to the LNA, Haftar praised the role played by U.S. President Donald Trump in advancing the strategic partnership between the two nations and expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Boulos for his efforts to support unification —’paving the way for the elections desired by the Libyan people’.