President Sisi warned that Egypt, a declared supporter of Marshal Haftar, would not remain “inert” in the face of a “direct threat” to its national security.
Egyptian lawmakers on Monday (July 20th) approved a possible armed intervention in Libya if the forces of the government in Tripoli, backed by Turkey, continue their advance towards the east of the country, Parliament said. The chamber unanimously approved the sending “of elements of the Egyptian army on combat missions beyond the borders of the Egyptian state, to defend national security,” according to a parliamentary statement.
If the Parliament does not directly cite “Libya”, the debates focused on this neighboring country, the deputies having discussed the “threats facing the state” in the west, where Egypt shares a porous border in full desert with Libya at war.
The vote, which was held behind closed doors, comes the day after a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the National Defense Council which includes the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister of Defense, the minister of foreign affairs and army commanders. “Egypt will spare no effort to support Libya,” they agreed during the meeting, calling for “a commitment to a political settlement”, according to the Egyptian presidency.
Libya, which has the most abundant oil reserves in Africa, is torn by a struggle for influence between two rival powers: the Government of National Unity (GNA), recognized by the UN and based in Tripoli, and Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who reigns over the east and part of the south of the country. The first is supported by Turkey, which has troops there, and the second by neighboring Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
Sisi had said Thursday in a meeting with representatives of the eastern Libyan tribes that Egypt would not remain “inert” in the face of a “direct threat” to its national security and that of Libya.
Last week, the parliament based in eastern Libya that supports Khalifa Haftar said it agreed to Egyptian military intervention in the event of a threat to the security of the two countries.
“Political settlement”!
Opposite on the Libyan question, Egypt and Turkey have maintained strained relations since the removal in 2013 of Egyptian Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, backed by Ankara.
In June, after the advance of the GNA forces against those of Marshal Haftar on the ground, the Egyptian president proposed a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the mercenaries and the dismantling of the militias in Libya. Ankara and the GNA rejected the plan.
Sisi had warned that any advance by GNA forces east could trigger an Egyptian military intervention, as Tripoli focused its efforts in the direction of Sirte.
Calling on Marshal Haftar to withdraw his forces from this strategic city and to negotiate a ceasefire, the GNA called the Egyptian position a “declaration of war”. However, Cairo considers Sirte, which opens access to Libyan oil fields, as a “red line”.
The situation in Libya was at the center of a telephone conversation Monday between Mr. Sisi and US President Donald Trump, according to the Egyptian presidency. The two men agreed to “maintain the ceasefire in Libya and avoid an escalation, so that negotiations can begin for a political settlement,” according to the same source.
Since the fall of Muammar Gadhafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has been plunged into chaos and multi-fronted conflicts, made more complex by the increased presence of international actors.
Reference: https://www.reporters.dz/le-parlement-egyptien-approuve-une-possible-intervention-en-libye/
