Pakistan plans Benghazi consulate, lending legitimacy to Libya's eastern authorities

KARACHI/BENGHAZI, Feb 3 - Pakistan is in talks to open a consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, as the leader of the Libyan National Army met Pakistan's prime minister in Islamabad.

Islamabad would join a small group of countries with a diplomatic presence in Benghazi, in a move that could boost eastern authorities in their rivalry with Libya's west.

Libya descended into turmoil after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Muammar Gaddafi and has been divided into eastern and western authorities since a 2014 civil war. The U.N.-recognised government in Tripoli controls the west, while LNA leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's forces based in Benghazi hold the east and south, including major oilfields.

Haftar discussed the consulate with officials during an ongoing visit to Pakistan, the sources said. 

He met Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi on Monday to discuss "professional cooperation", the Pakistani military said. 

LNA LEADER, PM, DISCUSS COOPERATION

On Tuesday, Haftar and his son Saddam met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss "ways to enhance bilateral cooperation across various fields, in addition to addressing regional and international issues of mutual interest," the LNA's media office said in a statement.

The department previously said Haftar met senior Pakistani army officials "within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations". It did not give further details and Reuters could not immediately reach eastern Libyan authorities for comment. 

Pakistan's prime minister's office and foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Pakistan's air force said in a statement that Saddam Khalifa Haftar met Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss expanding defence cooperation, including joint training, with Islamabad reaffirming its support for the "capability development" of the Libyan air force.

Pakistan's army chief visited Benghazi in December, where he signed a multibillion-dollar defence deal with the LNA, previously reported by Reuters. 

All three sources, who declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the decision to open a consulate in Benghazi was linked to the $4 billion defence deal, one of Pakistan's largest-ever arms sales.

Libya has been under a U.N. arms embargo since 2011, although U.N. experts have said it is ineffective. Pakistani officials involved in the December deal said it did not violate U.N. restrictions.

Haftar has historically been an ally of the UAE, which supported him with air power and viewed him as a bulwark against Islamists, while Pakistan - the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority nation - signed a wide-ranging mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia late last year. REUTERS