The United States (US) Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, and a delegation headed by special envoy Richard Norland and Chargè d'affaires Leslie Ordman, arrived Monday in Benghazi and met with Khalifa Haftar to discuss the latest political developments and support for UNSMIL's efforts via coordination with High Council of State and House of Representatives to devise the necessary legislations to hold elections before the end of 2023, Haftar's office has reported.
Leaf also met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aqila Saleh who briefed her on the achieved work toward devising electoral laws, HoR spokesman Abdullah Blehiq said.
Blehiq said in a statement on his Facebook page that Saleh's meeting with the US delegation dealt with developments in the situation in Libya, and emphasized the necessity of holding presidential and parliamentary elections. He said the two sides reiterated the need to create good conditions on the ground for presidential and parliamentary elections.
During Saleh's meeting with the US delegation, Blehiq announced the names of the HoR members who were elected to represent the HoR in the joint “6+6" committee with the High Council of State, which will undertake the preparation of electoral laws in accordance with the 13th constitutional amendment approved by the HoR last February.
