Italian FM: Egypt Plays Key Role in Libya

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that Egypt plays a key role in the Libyan crisis, stressing that Cairo’s presence at the Berlin Conference’s table was not a coincidence. 

“We must work now on relaunching the political process after the novel coronavirus pandemic recedes,” Di Maio added. 

During a press conference held in Rome, the Italian foreign minister agreed with his German Counterpart Heiko Maas continue cooperation and coordination between the two countries in many files of common interests, most importantly the Libyan issue. 

Early Monday, the Italian foreign minister and his German counterpart visited the headquarters of Operation IRINI in Rome.

Italy’s Di Maio, accompanied by Germany’s Maas, visited the headquarters of the IRINI delegation to monitor the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, located at Francesco Barraca Military Airport in Rome, according to Italian news agency NOVA.

In this regard, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted on "Twitter" a picture of the ministers with the commander of the mission.

Turkish Violations in Libya

Last week, Turkey prevented a European naval mission enforcing the Libya arms embargo from checking a suspect freighter off the Libyan coast. The Turkish warship was suspected of violating the United Nations arms embargo to Libya. 

“Ankara should justify its position before the Security Council,” European sources told the France Press Agency (AFP). 

A spokesman for the European Union foreign minister confirmed that the incident took place in international waters off the coast of Libya.

The EU Spokesperson Peter Stano did not give details but made it clear that a suspect cargo ship had not been searched.

Egypt Launched Cairo Declaration 

On June 6, Sisi received Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and Libyan National Army Commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and announced an initiative to end the conflict in the neighboring country.

The Cairo Declaration emphasizes the unity, integrity, and independence of the Libyan lands, respecting all international efforts, initiatives, and relevant Security Council resolutions, and accordingly, the commitment of all parties to the ceasefire from June 8, 2020.

[caption id="attachment_130745" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi (c), Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh (L) and LNA Commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar (R)- Press Photo[/caption]

The initiative is mainly based on the outcomes of the Berlin Summit, which resulted in a comprehensive political solution that includes clear implementation steps (political, security, and economic tracks) and the respect for human rights and international human rights law.

Each of the three regions (Eastern, Western and Southern) shall form an electoral entity whose members are chosen from the House of Representatives and the State Council representing each region, along with tribal elders and notables, and taking into account an acceptable representation of women, youth, political elites, intellectuals, and unions.

Thus, the three committees meet under the auspices of the United Nations and each region chooses its own representative, either by consensus or via election, within a period not exceeding 90 days, according to the initiative.