The Egyptian delegation withdrew from a meeting of the Arab League on Tuesday for Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush as the chairperson of the session.
The 158th ordinary session of the Cairo-based Arab League opened earlier Tuesday in the Egyptian capital under the presidency of Mangoush.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left the meeting over Mangoush’s chairing the meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid told the state news agency MENA.
"This topic has been discussed in the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers before the start of the official session,” he said. "We have to wait for the outcomes of the meetings throughout the day in this regard.”
There was no comment from Libyan officials on Egypt's withdrawal from the meeting.
Egyptian media earlier reported that the government of Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the east Libya-based parliament as prime minister in March, has protested Mangoush’s chairing of the Arab League meeting.
Bashagha, a former interior minister, said he was committed to holding elections within the time frame next year set out by parliament, adding that he wanted to achieve agreement between rival political institutions on the issue.
Disputes over basic rules for the election led to the collapse of the planned vote in December.
Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the head of the Tripoli-based National Unity Government, has refused to step down, insisting he will only cede authority to a government that comes through an "elected parliament," raising fears that Libya could slip back into a civil war.
Libyans are waiting for the stalled elections to take place in the hope that the vote will contribute to ending years of armed conflict that have plagued the oil-rich country.
Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed 2011 uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. For years, it has been split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by an array of militias and foreign governments.
