US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks in Washington on Tuesday on efforts to reunify Libya with a representative of Khalifa Haftar, the de facto ruler of the eastern part of the divided North African country.
Rubio received Saddam Haftar, the ruler's youngest son for talks, the US State Department said. Saddam is believed likely to succeed his 82-year-old father, whose government is based in Tobruk.
Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, attempted to seize the capital Tripoli in the west of the country in 2020, where the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh is based.
Civil war broke out in Libya following the ousting and murder of Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. The two governments, various militias and outside countries, including Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, have for years vied for influence in the oil-rich country.
There are fears that unification agreed between the Haftar and Dbeibeh families could merely entrench existing power structures.
The United Nations has for years been seeking to resolve the conflict, but attempts to hold elections have failed. A fragile ceasefire has held since 2020.
US President Donald Trump's adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, Massad Boulos, said Trump was seeking to resolve the conflict and hold a ceremony in Washington.
Speaking to Saudi news broadcaster al-Hadath (The Event), Boulos called for reunification. Observers fear US plans for Libya could undermine UN efforts to resolve the conflict.
