Chief diplomats boycott Libya-hosted Arab League meeting

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — A handful of Arab chief diplomats have met in the Libyan capital in a gathering boycotted by powerful foreign ministers who argued that the mandate of the Tripoli-based government has ended. Five of the 22 member states of the Arab League sent their foreign ministers to the periodic, consultative meeting Sunday. They included the chief diplomats of neighboring Algeria and Tunisia, local media reported. Others sent their envoys to the meeting in Tripoli. Among those boycotting was Egypt, which questioned the legitimacy of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah’s government after Libya’s east-based parliament appointed a rival premier last year. The foreign ministers of Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also did not attend.