US envoy visits Turkey for talks on upcoming Libya elections

TRIPOLI, Libya

The US ambassador to Libya on Friday paid a visit to Turkey for talks with top Turkish officials on boosting US support for Libya’s general elections set for this December.

Richard Norland's visit to the Turkish capital Ankara was set to focus on the constitutional basis and legislative background, critical elements for Libya’s Dec. 24 presidential and parliamentary elections, said the US Embassy to Libya in a statement.

It underlined that the US supports the Libyan public’s right to elect their leaders without external pressure and through a transparent, democratic process.

It called on political figures to exercise their influence for the benefit of Libyan citizens during the critical period.

Visiting Cairo, Egypt on Aug. 10-11, Norland had talks with warlord Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the illegal forces in eastern Libya, who on Monday said his militia would not be subordinate to the current Libyan government.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

On Feb. 5, Libya's rival political groups agreed during UN-mediated talks to form an interim unity government to lead the country to elections this December.

On March 16, an elected transitional authority, made up of a unity government and a presidential council, assumed their duties to lead the country through a transitional phase to parliamentary and presidential elections slated for Dec. 24.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara