The commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The Libyan general has visited Egypt on more than one occasion since leading a sweeping offensive against rebel forces in eastern Libya in mid 2014. Egypt has been playing an active role in mediating a solution to end the five-year civil war in Libya. Last December, Libyan officials and representatives from the country's various political factions met in Cairo and agreed to a declaration of principles, which includes five proposed amendments to the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015. On Saturday, Egypt's Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Mahmoud Hegazy discussed with the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Martin Kobler achieving a consensus between the various rival factions in Libya in accordance with the Skhirat agreement. Last Thursday, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed in Cairo the latest developments in Libya with the chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayaz Al-Sarraj.
