The British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, flew to Tripoli on Thursday to give his personal support for the fledgling peace process in Libya by meeting the Libyan prime minister, Fayez al-Serraj.

Johnson had planned the trip for some time but, by good fortune, the visit came the day after Serraj had met his rival Khalifa Haftar in Abu Dhabi where the two men agreed to work towards fresh presidential elections by March next year.

It had been the first time the two sides had met for more than a year and was a coup for Egyptian diplomacy in its efforts to persuade the heads of the institutions in the east and west of the country to work together.

Serraj has been running a UN-backed government from Tripoli largely representing the west of the country, while Haftar heads the Libyan National Army that dominates eastern areas of the country. He has become the standard bearer of forces encamped in the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament, the House of Representatives.

The Foreign Office kept the Johnson trip under wraps due to the military instability in Tripoli, including recent kidnappings and firefights. Johnson also met Abdurrahman Swehli, the president of Libya’s high state council, an advisory body opposed to Haftar.

The UK has been supportive of the UN-backed Serraj government, but has recently accepted that the political agreement signed in December 2015 needs revision and Haftar needs to be given a greater role, so long as he is under some form of political control.



In his meetings, Johnson underlined the importance of Libya’s legitimate political institutions working together to break the political deadlock which is prolonging instability and the suffering of the Libyan people.

Speaking after the visit to Tripoli, Johnson said: “Libya’s political and social groups need to seize the momentum offered by the welcome meeting between prime minister Seraj and marshall Heftar earlier this week to set out a path towards Libyan reconciliation and unity.

“Security, stability and prosperity can only be achieved when the country’s leaders choose to get together and work out a plan for the common benefit of the Libyan people.”

• This article has been amended to make clear Boris Johnson only met Fayez al-Serraj, and not Khalifa Haftar.