Haftar, Aguila Saleh arrive in Cairo to meet with Sisi

CAIRO – 31 December 2019: Head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar arrived in Cairo on Monday, along with Speaker of the Libyan Parliament Aguila Saleh.
The two Libyan leaders are set to meet with Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to discuss the latest updates in the political scene and circumstances.

In a phone call with American President Donald Trump on Dec. 26, Sisi affirmed Egypt’s support to the Libyan people’s will to achieve security and stability in the war-torn country.

The Egyptian leader also hailed the role played by the Libyan National Army, led by Haftar, to combat terrorism, and thwart the activities of the armed organizations and militias that have threatened regional security.

President Sisi affirmed the need to put an end to the illegal foreign intervention in the Libyan issue, a month after Turkey and the Tripoli-based government led by Fayez al-Sarraj agreed on a maritime accord.

Egypt has earlier condemned the signing of the two memoranda of understanding on security and maritime jurisdictions between Ankara and the Government of National Accord led by Sarraj, which the Libyan Parliament no more recognizes.

“Egypt affirms that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized in light of the fact that Article 8 of the Skhirat Political Agreement on Libya widely accepted by Libyans defines the competences conferred to the Council of Ministers, expressly stipulating that the Council of Ministers as an entity – and not the president of the council alone – has the power to conclude international agreements,” the Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement.

“The Council of Ministers’ membership is clearly incomplete, and it currently suffers from a serious imbalance in the representation of the Libyan areas. Accordingly, the role of the prime minister is limited to managing the council’s affairs. All attempts to build legal arrangements with any other country comprise a serious breach of the Skhirat Agreement," the statement read.