Efforts towards a political settlement for the Libyan crisis should be supported to meet Libyan aspirations to restore security, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stressed on Friday.
Sisi received a telephone call from Conte on Friday, during which they discussed the issues of common interest. They highlighted the situation in the Middle East, particularly in Libya as a regional issue of mutual concern.
Italy will host Palermo conference on Libya Nov. 12-13, calling on Libyan rival parties to come together in an attempt to hold presidential elections.
Egypt and Italy have several common issues regarding the security of the Mediterranean Sea as well as combating terrorism and extremism.
They emphasized the importance of enhancing political security consultations on the Arab region’s situation, especially in Syria and Libya, to combat terrorism and curb illegal immigration in the Mediterranean.
Previously, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi agreed on Aug. 5 to continue cooperation in combating illegal immigration.
Shoukry said both countries agreed on supporting the UN envoy to reach a political settlement in Libya through a Libyan-Libyan resolution, which preserves the unity of the country and its institutions and people.
Libyan crisis
Since Muammar Gaddafi’s ouster in 2011, Libya has spiraled into civil war between its political parties competing for the power and divisions inside its army.
There have been two major factions on the ground since 2014; one led by Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, who now controls the eastern side of Libya in cooperation with the government of the House of Representatives (HoR), also known as the Tobruk government.
The other is led by Faiez Sarraj, head of the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord of the General National Congress (GNC).
Meanwhile, the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups have taken advantage of the conflict and established a foothold in the country, posing threats to Libya’s neighbors.
To put an end to the civil war and to establish a national unity government, Skhirat agreement was signed in December 2016 between the political factions involved in the conflict under the supervision of UN envoy Martin Kobler in the city of Skhirat, Morocco.
However, the agreement failed to achieve its purpose because it lacked consensus between the two parties, as it only recognized the GNA led by Sarraj.
In December 2017, Haftar declared the expiry of the agreement, refusing to recognize Sarraj’s government.
“The validity of the so-called political agreement – and all the bodies emanating from it – has expired,” the Field Marshal said.
He added that the HoR government in the east will not submit to any party unless its gains “legitimate power.”
Hence, Egypt held several meetings with Libyan political factions to resolve the crisis and amend the agreement, most recently, the 7th round of negotiations in Cairo that produced a draft to unify Libyan army and restructure Libya’s Presidential Guard.
