US-Libya: VP Kamala Harris to attend Paris summit on Libyan elections

US Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend the Paris Summit on Libya next week, according to administration officials.

Through the participation of Kamala Harris, who took office in January, Washington wants to support Libya as it takes steps toward elections scheduled for Dec.24.

“We want to show our support for the Libyan people as they move toward national elections and focus on the importance of withdrawing foreign forces and mercenaries,” a US official said.

The Libya summit, organized with the United Nations, Germany and Italy in Paris on Nov. 12, is expected to bring together some 20 heads of state from the region and beyond.

Disputes over elections scheduled for December 24 threaten to derail Libya’s efforts to end a decade of chaos and violence.

Harris will be attending the Paris summit as part of a five-day trip to France meant to deepen the reconciliation begun by President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The US Vice President will also address with her French interlocutors the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.