Egyptian, Italian foreign ministers discuss consequences of foreign interference in Libya
Ahram Online, , Friday 17 Jul 2020


Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Italian counterpart Luigi di Maio discussed the regional situation, including the Libyan crisis and the Palestinian cause, in a phone call on Thursday.

During the call, Shoukry warned against the "adverse consequences" of illegitimate foreign interference in Libya and of transferring foreign fighters to the conflict-torn country.

The Egyptian minister emphasised the importance of sticking by efforts to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable solution by putting the Cairo Declaration into force, his spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.

"The Cairo Declaration is an extension of the Berlin path," Shoukry said during the call.

The Cairo initiative was launched on 6 June by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar, and Libyan parliament speaker Aguila Saleh. It involves a ceasefire, an elected leadership council and a longer-term peace plan for the country.

The foreign ministers’ phone call was made following a meeting El-Sisi held with Libyan tribal chieftains in Cairo on Thursday.

Shoukry also briefed di Maio on the details of the meeting.

El-Sisi had told the chieftains that Egypt “will not stand idle in the face of any trespassing of the red line,” a reference to the Libyan cities of Sirte and Jufra.

The Egyptian and Italian sides also discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian cause, stressing the importance of preserving the opportunities to reach a comprehensive and fair political compromise.

Shoukry reiterated the significance of not taking any unilateral move and committing to the decision of international legitimacy.

Israel is considering annexing parts of the occupied West Bank under a US-plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, a move that has been rejected by the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.

The ministers also touched upon the case of the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016 and the cooperation between the judicial authorities in Egypt and Italy in order to seek the truth, Hafez added.

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