Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Cairo’s plan for a ceasefire in Libya, beginning June 8, after a tripartite meeting with the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament Agila Saleh on Saturday.
Al-Sisi said that the political initiative, which he called the “Cairo initiative”, would pave the way for a return to normal life in Libya. He warned against using military tactics to resolve the crisis.
The initiative obliges all foreign parties to remove all foreign mercenaries in Libya, the dismantling of militias and a handover of weapons to allow the LNA to cooperate with other security apparatuses. This would allow Libyan actors to undertake their military duty, as well as completing the path of the 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission in Geneva.
The initiative also aims to ensure a fair representation of Libya’s three regions in forming a presidential council to be elected by the Libyan people under the supervision of the United Nations for the first time in the country’s history.
A political solution is the only way to resolve the crisis in Libya, Sisi said, adding that Libya’s security is an extension of Egypt’s security.
All Libyan parties have been asked to partake in the ceasefire, Al-Sisi said, adding that Haftar and the Parliament’s head Aguila Saleh are committed to protecting the Libyan people’s interests.
Under the guidelines of the ceasefire, all foreign fighters must withdraw from Libya, he underscored.
For his part, Field Marshal Haftar said that Turkey’s intervention in the Libyan conflict aggravated the situation in Libya and threatened regional stability.
Haftar pointed out that the whole world is witnessing Turkey’s support for “terrorism and the transfer of terrorist elements from one place to another in the Middle East and North Africa, which further complicates the solution to the Libyan crisis.”
Haftar emphasized Libya’s unity and territorial integrity and the elimination of terrorist groups classified by Security Council resolutions, as well as calling for a Libyan dialogue immediately with the participation of all segments of society.
The Speaker of Libya’s Parliament said that the Libyan National Army (LNA) abided by the humanitarian truce, but that the Government of National Accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj did not.
Saleh stressed that when the army moved to Tripoli, it was tasked with fighting terrorists, not targeting civilians.
