Egypt's FM discusses Cairo-sponsored initiative for political settlement in Libya with senior officials

CAIRO - 7 June 2020: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry discussed the Libyan political initiative, which was launched on Sunday in Cairo under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Shoukry also discussed the matter with Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Fakih, in addition to a number of his Arab and African counterparts, including Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Niger, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan.

The peace initiative was signed in the presence of Libyan Speaker Aguila Saleh, and Commander of Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, during their visit to Egypt.

During the calls, the Egyptian top diplomat expressed his country's keenness to coordinate with the countries concerned with the situation in Libya, affirming that Egypt would continue to cooperate with brotherly countries to reacha political solution in the light of the newly-launched initiative and per the resolutions made during the Berlin Conference to achieve complete stability in Libya.

PresidentSisi announced on June 6 launching an initiative for to reach apolitical settlement in Libya following his talks in Cairo with Commander Haftar.

“Cairo Declaration seeks ceasefire between warring Libyan parties starting from June 8, a UN-supervised election of a Libyan presidential council and drafting a constitutional declaration to regulate elections for the later stage,”Sisi said.

Sisi said that the political initiative, which he called the “Cairo initiative”, would pave the way for a return to normal life in Libya. President Sisi warned against using military tactics to resolve the crisis.

“A political solution is the only way to resolve the crisis in Libya,” Sisi said, adding that Libya's security is a pillar for Egypt's security.

“All Libyan parties have been asked to partake in the ceasefire,”Sisi said, referring that LNA Chief Haftar and the eastern Parliament head Aguila Saleh are committed to protecting the Libyan people’s best interests.

“Under the guidelines of the ceasefire, all foreign fighters must withdraw from Libya,” he stressed.