Reuters reports that on 23 May, US ambassador to Libya Peter Bodde, who is based in Tunis, and Marine General Thomas Waldhauser, the commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) flew into Tripoli for two hours to meet Fayez al-Serraj, prime minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), and other senior officials. This was the first visit by a US ambassador for nearly three years. This follows a very brief meeting on 21 May between Serraj and Trump in Saudi Arabia.
"The visit today demonstrates the continued commitment of the United States to the Government of National Accord and to political reconciliation in Libya," Bodde told reporters. "We call on all Libyans to avoid further conflict that could lead to a civil war and would enable terrorism and increased social and economic hardships," said Bodde.
"We applaud the ongoing Libyan dialogue on how to form a government that has broad acceptance across Libya." He said he welcomed Libyan efforts to hold elections next year.
"We are working closely with Libya to expand its counter-terrorism capacity and stand ready to help Libya train professional armed forces as we strengthen cooperation on our shared regional security goals," he said.
Serraj, who met Trump briefly on the sidelines of a summit in Riyadh on Sunday, said his government would submit a request to the United Nations this week to lift its arms embargo on Libya.
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