Libya's Dbeibah says ready to address Egypt's maritime concerns

CAIRO, Oct 24 (Reuters) – The prime minister of Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Unity told Egypt’s intelligence chief his government was ready to address Cairo’s concerns over Mediterranean maritime boundaries and economic waters, his office said on Saturday.

• Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and the intelligence chief Hassan Rashad discussed bilateral relations and coordination on matters of mutual interest during a phone call, the statement said

• Egypt rejected on Wednesday a maritime boundaries agreement ratified by Libya’s eastern-based parliament involving Turkey, saying the deal was null and void and would have no legal effect on Egypt

• The Libya-Turkey maritime deal was originally agreed in 2019 by Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli

• The rival eastern administration, under military commander Khalifa Haftar, withheld its approval for years

• The agreement is part of a long-running dispute over maritime claims and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean

• Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have opposed the Libya-Turkey accord, saying it infringes their own maritime claims

• Libya has been divided between Dbeibah’s UN-recognised government in Tripoli and eastern authorities aligned with Haftar

• Egypt and Libya, which share a land border, have longstanding security and economic ties

(Reporting by Enas Alashray; editing by Barbara Lewis)