On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi received Ageela Saleh, Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) at Al-Ittihadiya Palace. The meeting was also attended by Egypt’s Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, according to the Presidential Spokesman, Bassam Rady.
The meeting comes as part of the ongoing Egyptian efforts to achieve security and stability in Libya. Cairo is also involved in the Libyan file to support its people in the face of terrorist organisations, armed militias, and foreign interference. The Libyan and Egyptian officials discussed the most recent developments, with President El-Sisi hailing the positive interaction between the eastern and western parties.
Rady noted that, at the beginning of the meeting, El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s steadfast position in supporting a political solution to the crisis, away from foreign intervention. “The president also welcomed positive steps that shall lead to calm, peace, construction, and development in Libya,” he noted.
El-Sisi lauded the results of the recent international and regional meetings which emphasized the need for peace, and a comprehensive political solution. Moreover, the Egyptian President praised the efforts made by Parliament Speaker Saleh to support a political path and unify the executive and legislative institutions of the country. He also praised the valuable role of the military establishment led by Field Marshal Haftar, in combating terrorism and committing to the ceasefire.
El-Sisi called on all parties to engage positively in all political, economic, military and security paths to resolve the conflict and lead to presidential and parliamentary elections. This must be done according to the Berlin Summit’s outcomes and the Cairo Declaration, as well as under the auspices of the UN.
In this regard, he urged all Libyan parties to unify their positions to get out of the current crisis, and to pay the greatest attention to the national interest. Rady stated that the Libyan officials expressed their great appreciation for the pivotal Egyptian role in stabilizing the situation.