El Sisi calls on Libya's rival factions to place their country's interests above all else

Egypt seeks to prevent its western neighbour from sliding back into full-blown strife

The burnt-out shells of cars destroyed during fighting between Libya's rival factions in Tripoli. AFP

Libya’s rival factions must place the interests of the energy-rich North African state above all else to prevent it from sliding back into full-blown strife, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said.

His comments coincide with the talks taking place in Cairo between Libyan officials on constitutional amendments for elections at a time when their country is at a political impasse, with two rival administrations claiming legitimacy.

The talks, which began on Sunday, came after clashes between rival militias that caused residents of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to panic and revived memories of previous bouts of fighting in the nation.

Politicians from Libya’s parliament in the east and the High Council of State, an advisory body from western Libya, began the UN-brokered negotiations amid concerted international pressure on the two chambers to put their differences aside and agree on the election’s legal basis.

“Our brothers in Libya must be encouraged to understand that the interests of the Libyan state are far more important than any other interests, so an escalation is avoided and things slide into full-blown armed confrontation,” said Mr El Sisi, whose comments to reporters were released late on Monday night.

“Egypt aims to prevent further escalations and focuses on resolving the Libyan issue through the constitutional path.”

The North African country's stability and security is of paramount importance to Egypt, shares a porous desert border with Libya and is alarmed by the presence there of militant groups whose fighters had in the past carried out cross-border attacks against its security forces and Christians.

The UN's special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said the Cairo talks would continue until Sunday, with the aim of establishing a constitutional framework “required to take the country to national elections as soon as possible”.

“After eleven long years of division, dysfunction, conflict, chaos and polarisation, the Libyan people are exhausted,” she told the opening session.

“You have a real opportunity, indeed a solemn responsibility, to give them hope, to provide a pathway towards elections within a firm constitutional framework.”

In the previous two rounds of talks, the parties came to an initial consensus on 137 articles of the constitutional draft, including on rights and freedoms.

They will continue to discuss a handful of disputed articles on legislative and judicial authority, Ms Williams said.

The dispute over the election’s constitutional framework is among the challenges that prevented voting, which had been initially scheduled for December, from taking place.

The failure to hold the vote was a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in Libya. It has opened a new chapter in its long-running political impasse, with rival governments now claiming power after tentative steps towards unity in the past year.

Libya has, for years, been split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by various well-armed militias and foreign governments.

The Mediterranean nation has been in a state of upheaval since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

The country’s plan to make the transition to an elected government fell through after the interim administration based in Tripoli, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, failed to hold elections last year.

Mr Dbeibah has refused to step down since then, raising questions over his mandate.

In response, the country’s eastern politicians elected a rival prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, a powerful former interior minister who is now running a separate administration out of the city of Sirte.