African Union expresses concern over 'external interference' in Libya

AU said outsiders were 'motivated by selfish interests'

FILE PHOTO: A migrant picks up her belongings from among rubble at a detention centre for mainly African migrants that was hit by an airstrike in the Tajoura suburb of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Libya July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny/File Photo
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The African Union's high level committee on Libya has expressed concern at "outside interference" in the besieged country and proposed the appointment of a joint UN-AU envoy.

"The committee expressed its deep concern over continued external interference in Libya's internal affairs, motivated by selfish interests, which continues to undermine efforts to establish a permanent and unconditional ceasefire," it said after a weekend summit in Niger.

The committee "proposed the appointment of a joint special envoy of the AU and the United Nations to strengthen the co-ordination of efforts between the two organisations, on the basis of a single road map".

It said the envoy would provide unified support to Libyan peace efforts.

AU diplomatic sources said the meeting was particularly "tense", with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the union's current president, reluctant to take part in talks, leaving his Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to represent him.

The nomination of a joint envoy to aid UN support mission head for Libya, Ghassan Salame, had been discussed before the Niger summit, a diplomatic source said.

The sources said the talks' conclusions would have to be signed off by all parties before being publicly released.