Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website has reported Egyptian sources close to the committee concerned with the Libyan file, without naming them, as saying that a meeting for a number of leaders of Libyan military factions and leaders of tribes from east Libya was held in Cairo in the presence of Khalifa Haftar's son, Saddam.

The website indicated that the Head of the Egyptian committee concerned with the Libyan file, Ayman Badie, chaired the meeting from the Egyptian side, in addition to the presence of the Chief of the Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, saying that the aim of the meeting was to reaffirm bilateral relations in addition to the Egyptian role in eastern Libya.

"Egyptian consultations with a number of components of the eastern region, led by the leaders of the military factions, aim to unify positions in light of international efforts to agree on a new date for holding Libyan elections, previously scheduled for December 24. Cairo is strengthening its position and stance before going to any understandings on Libya. It aims to have a strong position that guarantees its control over the eastern Libyan camp and its different groups, in return for the Turkish control over the western Libyan camp, which Cairo has already started to work on with the aim of infiltrating it." The website added.

It reiterated that the invitation of Haftar's son came after an unannounced and UAE-coordinated visit the latter paid to Turkey in mid-December, with the aim of bringing closer the views of the two sides, knowing that a Libyan military official had denied to the press last month that the visit took place.