Egypt's Sisi says stablising current situation in Libya is the 'main goal'
Ahram Online, , Tuesday 13 Oct 2020
El-Sisi said the desired solution should be based on the outcomes of the Berlin conference and the Cairo Declaration


Maintaining the current situation on the ground in Libya, as per the declared lines, is the main goal in pursuit of a comprehensive solution to restore stability in the oil-rich country, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi told the Jordanian foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, during a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday.

El-Sisi said the desired solution should be based on the outcomes of the Berlin conference and the Cairo Declaration, an Egyptian peace initiative announced in June that proposed a ceasefire and the election of a leadership council.

Libya, which has been divided between two rival administrations for six years, is currently witnessing a truce agreement between the warring parties after they declared a ceasefire. The declaration ended fears about possible aggression against the port city of Sirte, 370 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli and Jufra, which has a major military airbase.

According to a statement released by the presidential spokesman Bassam Rady following the meeting, El-Sisi stressed the joint coordination, willpower, and unity of Arab stances would impose the outlines of the Arab national security.

Egypt has been pushing for a political settlement in Libya and calling for a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of militias, and a halt to foreign intervention in the country, as well as a fair distribution of wealth.

In July, El-Sisi said Egypt “will not stand idle” in the face of any attack on Libya’s Sirte, which he earlier described as a “red line” for Egypt’s national security.

During Tuesday's meeting, the two officials also assured the importance of intensifying the international efforts to settle the Palestinian crisis, drawing on international legitimacy decisions, Rady pointed out.

The meeting, which was attended by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, also dealt with bilateral relations between Egypt and Jordan, according to the statement.

El-Sisi expressed hope for continuing coordination between the two countries at all levels amid the increased challenges the region is facing.

Safadi expressed his country's keenness to continue coordination with Cairo at all levels in light of Egypt's role in the region, which he described as "significant and pivotal."

The Jordanian minister arrived in Cairo earlier today to discuss several bilateral issues with a number of Egyptian officials, and to attend a trilateral meeting with his Egyptian and Iraqi counterparts to discuss topics of mutual concern.

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