Reaction to Egypt talks between Libya's rivals

Officials from Libya's rival administrations began talks Tuesday in an Egyptian Red Sea resort, laying the legal groundwork for presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.

The negotiations in Hurghada involve 10 members from the eastern Libya-based parliament and the same number from the High Council of State, an advisory body to the UN-supported government in the capital, Tripoli.

The North African country is today divided into two rival administrations, each backed by an array of militias and foreign powers.

The administration backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter rules the east and south while the UN-supported government based in Tripoli, controls the west.

"Talks today focused on the importance of the constitutional process," said Abdullah Blaihek, spokesperson for Libya's House of Representatives based in eastern Tobruk.

A roadmap crafted by a Libyan political forum in November in Tunisia called for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held December 24, 2021.

Separately on Tuesday, the so-called Libyan Political Dialogue Forum approved a mechanism for choosing a transitional government that would lead the country to the proposed elections, the U.N. support mission in Libya said.

The talks in Hurghada and the forum came amid international pressure to find a settlement to Libya's conflict and avoid another bout of violence.