US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker (Photo: U.S embassy in Cairo official facebook page)
David Schenker, the assistant secretary for the Near Eastern Bureau at the US State Department, has voiced appreciation for Egypt’s “Cairo Declaration” initiative on the Libyan conflict, saying it was "productive to have more unity in Libya."
In a teleconference with reporters on Thursday, Schenker said that the Egyptian initiative has “helpful parts."
"That said, we think that the UN-led process and the Berlin process are really the framework -- the most productive framework -- to engage in negotiations to make progress on a ceasefire," he told reporters.
On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi launched the initiative in Cairo alongside Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar and Libyan parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.
The initiative aims to bring about a ceasefire and find a peaceful political settlement in the country.
El-Sisi discussed the issue with US President Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday.
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