The Head of the Presidential Council, Fayez Al-Sirraj, has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) upon an invitation by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayid to discuss the current crisis and to strike accord in viewpoints between him and Khalifa Haftar, identical sources have reported.
Several news outlets reported that there could be a meeting for Khalifa Haftar and Al-Sirraj in Abu Dhabi, yet the sources denied that the former went to Abu Dhabi.
The spokesman for Al-Siraj, Mohammed El Sallak, tweeted Monday that Al-Sirraj arrived in the UAE to discuss mutual relations and the current status quo in Libya.
In the meantime, sources from Libya were talking of a possible meeting between Haftar and Al-Sirraj in the UAE, but other sources close to Al-Sirraj said the latter refused the meeting, citing the need for Haftar to commit his forces and military command under a civilian authority.
Haftar has been vocal in his rejection to having his self-styled army be under a civilian authority - in this case the Presidential Council government in Tripoli, which he rejects and says is fragile and weak.
Libya Panorama TV Channel reported earlier that Haftar arrived in the UAE and then left refusing to meet Al-Sirraj who insisted on having "the army" under a civilian authority.
Local sources close to Al-Sirraj further added that the UAE officials told Al-Sirraj they "agree to have the military command in Libya under the Presidential Council's authority," and that the international players "refuse to allow Haftar to use the operations in the south as a card to win political gains."
They added that the US ambassador to Libya Peter Bodde had told Haftar that his country supports the Presidential Council and that the "army" must be under a civilian authority."
