Arab states boycott regional meet in divided Libya’s capital

Arab states boycotted a meeting hosted by Libya’s unity government on Sunday, with just five of the Arab League’s 22 members sending their top diplomats and even the bloc’s secretary general staying away.

The snub underlines Arab divisions over the Tripoli-based government, whose legitimacy is contested by a rival administration in the war-torn country’s east.

Regional heavyweights Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were not represented at all at the gathering -- a preparatory session ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo.

Four members sent lower-ranking ministers or ambassadors while Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit was also absent.