Arab Countries Welcome, Support Egypt’s Initiative
A few hours after announcing the Egyptian initiative to solve the Libyan crisis on Saturday, many Arab and European countries, in addition to the United States welcomed the initiative launched in Cairo.
The United Arab Emirates issued a statement announcing its support to the Egyptian efforts to revive the political path and declare a ceasefire.
The statement explained that the political track is the only acceptable option to reach the desired stability and prosperity, calling on the Libyan brothers to prevail over the common national interest.
“The U.A.E calls on the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) to respond quickly to the Egyptian initiative to stop the bloodshed and to build the state institutions,” read the U.A.E. Foreign Ministry statement.
Jordan also welcomed “The Cairo Declaration” and described it as “A significant breakthrough.”
The Egyptian initiative calls for a ceasefire starting from next Monday, stresses on outcomes of the Berlin Conference and demands reviving the political path for the crisis.
Bahraini Foreign Ministry hailed the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s efforts aiming to achieve the Libyan people’s aspirations, in addition to security and stability.
“All Libyan parties have to respond to the Cairo initiative for the sake of the integrity and unity of the state territory,” the Bahraini Foreign Ministry statement stressed.
Arab Countries Calls for Libyan Parties’ Reactions
In the same regard, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the Egyptian initiative, stressing its full support to the international efforts to stop conflicts in Libya upon resolutions and decisions adopted by Berlin and Geneva Conferences.
“Saudi urges the GNA and LNA to engage into comprehensive political negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations,” the Kingdom’s statement read.
Sisi received on Saturday the Libyan Speaker Aguila Saleh and the LNA Commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. He and the Libyan leaders agreed on the complete rejection of the practices of some parties on the scene, as well as the military escalation that would further exacerbate the situation.
In the meantime, Saleh and Haftar welcomed Cairo’s national talks, and lauded the pivotal and important Egyptian role led by Sisi in stabilizing peace and achieving stability in Libya and preserving the capabilities of the people.
They also hailed Egypt’s support for the efforts of institutions in combating terrorism and extremist groups, in an effort to create conditions for a political solution to the crisis, to meet the aspirations of the people towards a safe and dignified life.
At the end of the meeting, Saleh and Field Marshal Haftar launched the Cairo Declaration, including a Libyan-Libyan initiative as a basis for resolving the crisis , within the framework of United Nations resolutions and successive international efforts leading to the outcomes of the Berlin Conference.
They affirmed that this initiative calls for respect for those efforts, cease-fire, and obliging foreign actors to pull out mercenaries from within Libyan territory so that security institutions can carry out their responsibilities and tasks, in addition to completing and strengthening parallel tracks at the political and economic levels.
On Thursday, Libyan National Army Spokesman Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari said that no political negotiations will advance unless Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan withdraw his forces from the country.
“The Prime Minister of the Government of the National Accord in Tripoli, Tripoli, Fayez Al-Sarraj, made the crisis hostage to international conflicts,” Mismari added in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
He pointed out that the LNA, which is fighting a war against militias and terrorists, is putting the ball in the court of the international community to implement its obligations.
