The Egyptian, Tunisia, and Algeria foreign ministers emphasised on Tuesday the rejection of all foreign interferences in Libya, as it will undermine the political process and perpetuate the country's crisis, following the tripartite ministerial meeting held in Algeria to discuss the situation in the country. The three Arab countries issued a statement in which they renewed their support for the UN action plan, adopted in October 2017, in order to end the Libyan crisis through establishing strong national institutions, including economic entities, and a unified army and security forces to maintain security and combat terrorism. They insisted the significant role the Libyan people should play in international and regional efforts and consultations aiming to achieve a political settlement, noting that a political solution should be approved by the people. The foreign ministers agreed to continue their security coordination to counter extremist groups' threats that target Libya's security and safety, as well as monitoring "terrorist elements'" movements into the war-torn country. Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria's foreign ministers, Sameh Shoukry, Khemaies Jhinaoui, and Abdelkader Messahel met on Monday in Algeria for a regular ministerial meeting to discuss the updates in Libya, ahead of expected parliamentary and presidential elections in the country in late 2018. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been an enclave for militant groups. The Islamic State group (IS) gained a foothold in Sirte, the birthplace of Gaddafi, before the town was recaptured in 2016. The war-torn country was politically divided into three governments and two rival parliaments. It has been hit by a financial crisis since 2011 due to clashes between militias and forces loyal to these governments. Late in 2015, the UN reached an agreement to form a new "unity" government headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and based in Tripoli, while the other two remain in the eastern cities of Bayda and Benghazi.
