Libya Parliament Denies Egypt Army Deal

Libya's House of Representatives (parliament) has denied reports about signing an agreement with Egypt to allow the latter to launch military operations into Libyan territories.



"Reports about signing an agreement to allow the Egyptian army to enter Libyan territories are totally groundless," parliament spokesman Farag Bo Hashem told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.



He said that the Libyan assembly has not signed any such agreement.



A local Egyptian newspaper had reported Tuesday that Egypt had signed an agreement with the Libyan parliament to allow Cairo to launch operations into Libyan territories.



Libya has been dogged by political instability since the 2011 ouster and subsequent death of longstanding ruler Muammar Gaddafi.



Ever since, rival militias have been locking horns, bringing violence to Libya's main cities, including capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi– while the Libyan government has appeared totally absent from the scene.



The sharp divisions have yielded two rival seats of government in the country, each of which has its own institutions.



Two assemblies currently vie for legislative authority: a newly-elected House of Representatives, which convenes in the eastern city of Tobruk; and the General National Congress, which – even though its mandate ended in August – convenes in capital Tripoli.



The two parliaments support two different governments respectively headquartered in the two cities.



By Moataz al-Majbari



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Bingazi