(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) France will send European Affairs Minister Harlem Desir to attend a meeting of the "5+5" group in Madrid on Wednesday, a meeting that will be largely devoted to the situation in Libya, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.
The 5+5 group includes France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malta, for the northern Mediterranean, and Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, for the southern Mediterranean zone.
The group meets regularly to discuss areas of cooperation in the political, economic, financial, cultural and other areas, including anti-terrorism and migration issues.
A French statement ahead of the Madrid talks said that other countries outside the classical group, for example Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Niger, Sudan and Chad would also be attending on Wednesday.
The crisis in Libya is causing concern across the region as fighting expands across the country and rule of law is near to collapse.
UN Special Representative for Libya, Bernadino Leon, is also expected at the talks, as are representatives of the Arab League and the European Union.
"The aim of this meeting is to support the Libyan authorities and the United Nations mediation efforts at a time when the political, security and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate," the French statement said.
Three years ago, France played a leading role, along with other Western countries, in supporting rebels seeking to overthrow Libyan dictator Moammer Gadaffi and the country has had difficulty establishing a stable government because of largely tribal and regional rivalries.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.