FILE PHOTO: Aguila Saleh, Head of East Libya Parliament, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt June 12, 2019. REUTERS
Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh said his country will need the backing of the Egyptian Armed Forces in the war against terrorists and mercenaries.
Speaking to Extra News TV channel on Thursday, he stressed that the Egyptian initiative to settle the Libyan crisis and the call for a ceasefire has led to a radical change as regards the uncontrolled arming of the warring parties in the Arab country.
Saleh praised the stance of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the recent warning on the war in Libya.
He said that the Libyan people nationwide support all efforts exerted by Sisi for reaching a ceasefire in Libya and preserving Libyan national security.
In an interview with MENA, he added that the Libyan House of Representatives is the only elected authority that is representing the Libyan people.
The Libyan factions are all supporting efforts by president Sisi to end the Libyan crisis including the Cairo Declaration on a ceasefire and resuming political dialogue along with Egypt's readiness for military intervention in Libya in a legitimate way to support the Libyan people and preserve their resources against attempts by foreign powers to control these resources, he added.
The Libyan speaker expressed appreciation for president Sisi for his stances supporting the Libyan people. The Libyans will never forget the stances of President Sisi, he confirmed.
President Sisi, he added, has never been biased to any party against another and Egypt's intervention in Libya is not for supporting one party against another party. Egypt is always calling on all parties concerned to engage in dialogue and work for reaching a peaceful solution, he pointed out.
Saleh also expressed appreciation for the Egyptian people who have always been supporting Libya throughout history.
He pointed out that Egypt has never interfered in the internal affairs of any other country. Rather, Egypt is always working for the establishment of peace and is calling on all Libyan parties to work for reaching a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis, he noted.
The Libyan speaker said he delivered a speech in January at the Egyptian House of Representatives and underlined that the Libyan people would need the support of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The Libyan people are officially asking Egypt to intervene, when necessary, with armed forces in Libya to preserve the Libyan national security and the Egyptian national security, he pointed out.
The Egyptian intervention in this case will be a legitimate self-defence if terrorists trespassed the red line set by President Sisi, he added.
"If the red line of Sirte is trespassed by terrorists, we will ask for the intervention of the Egyptian Armed Forces for supporting the Libyan army and in this case the Egyptian intervention will be for protecting its rights and will be according to a mandate by the Libyan people", he noted.
Answering a question on the Libyan army's movement in Tripoli, he noted that the army moved after Turkey had sent more than 15,000 mercenaries into the Libyan capital. Therefore the army moved in response to international calls for a ceasefire and according to international initiatives including the Cairo Declaration Initiative that was announced on June 6 under the auspices of President Sisi.
As for the stance of the international community on the recent developments in Libya, he said that there is a total agreement by the international community that the Egyptian initiative is the only solution to end the Libyan crisis.
As for the international arms embargo on Libya, he said that this embargo is imposed only on the Libyan national army while arms are flowing to the militiamen.
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