Egypt's president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during a meeting with Libyan tribes' leaders in Cairo on Thursday 19 July 2020 (photo courtesy of the official presidency website)
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Thursday he will request parliament's approval in case of intervention in Libya.
El-Sisi's statement came during his meeting with Libyan tribal chieftains who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in conflict-torn Libya.
"Egypt is capable of changing the military scene in Libya and it has got the strongest army in the Arab world and Africa,” he said.
“In case Egyptian forces enter Libya, you (the chiefs of tribes) will be on the head of the troops with the Libyan flag,” he added.
Egypt's announcement came following the forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), which are backed by Turkey, carried several attacks against the Libyan National Army (LNA), backed by Egypt, Russia and United Arab Emirates, and announced that its troops will move forward towards establishing control over Sirte and Jufra, which hosts Libya's largest air base.
During the meeting, El-Sisi said that the red lines which he spoke about in his speech at Sidi Barani military base last month were an invitation for peace and an end of the conflict. The Egyptian president stressed during that speech that Sirte and Al-Jufra are red lines for Egyptian national security.
He added that Egypt will not stand still in the face of actions that pose a direct and strong threat not only for the Egyptian and Libyan national security but also for the Arab, regional and international national security.
"The main objective of the Egyptian efforts towards Libya on all levels is to support the free will of the Libyan people to achieve a better future for the country and its future generations," El-Sisi told the Libyan tibes leaders.
El-Sisi stated that Egypt was ready to train Libyan youth in Egyptian military academies so they would be the core of the Libyan army.
He reiterated Cairo's rejection of foreign interventions in Libya which aim to steal Libyan wealth.
The Egyptian president added that since the Cairo Declaration was announced, it was noticed that one of the parties involved did not want to comply with the ceasefire.
Cairo Declaration initiative which based on previous UN Security Council's resolutions and Berlin conference conclusions stipulated a ceasefire should have started 8 June, with an adherence to all international initiatives and Security Council resolutions on the unity and territorial integrity of Libyan lands.
It also stipulates the continuation of talks by the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission in Geneva sponsored by the UN, and obliges all foreign parties to “remove all foreign mercenaries nationwide, the dismantling of militias, and the handover of weapons to allow the LNA to cooperate with other security apparatuses to carry out their military duty.”
The GNA which controls of most of northwest Libya rejected it.
Libya's tribal figureheads mandated President El-Sisi and Egypt's Armed Forces to intervene to protect the sovereignty of Libya and to take the necessary measures to secure the national security interests of Libya and Egypt and to face the common challenges. The tribal leaders' call is in line with the Libyan parliament's request for Egypt to intervene, a presidential statement read.
The meeting comes days after the eastern-based Libyan parliament called on Egypt to intervene militarily to counter what it called "Turkish occupation”.
The meeting was held under the slogan "Egypt and Libya… one people, one fate."
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