Libya's Security.. Ultimate Concern in Egypt Foreign Policy

The Egyptian stance announced by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi towards Libya in his speech yesterday, during his inspection of the western military region, was nothing but a firm and stable Egyptian policy over decades, towards its neighbor country.

Since July 1952 until now, Egypt's presidents have pursued a consistent policy towards the western neighbor, which is to preserve Libya and its people, and not to greed for its wealth, whatever the cost.

In a speech in 1970, the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser affirmed that our country wants nothing from Libya except its security and stability as an Arab country and its neighbor, and its security is an indispensible part of the security of Egypt, and within the determinants of Egyptian national security.

Later, in statements given by the late former president Anwar Sadat during a visit to Kuwait along with his then-deputy Hosni Mubarak in May 1975,  the late president denied reports that there were military mobilization on the Libyan borders in preparation for a strike against the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, stressing that it is an obligation and a national duty to protect all its Arab neighbours, a commitment dictated by history, geography, one-common-destiny-concept, and Egypt is happy with it.

President Sadat also stressed that Egyptians will preserve all Arab land, paying whatever it takes from their blood and wealth, specifically since 1948, in order to serve Arab issues, adding that our country, after being one of the richest countries, has become a poor country by draining its resources in wars for Arab causes.

On his part, the late President Hosni Mubarak confirmed his rejection to an American plan, aimed at striking Libya through Egyptian territory, adding that the request was made orally by the director of American intelligence and was encouraging us to launch a military strike against Libya, inciting that Libya is a threat to us.

In his interview with the prominent journalist Imad Adib in 2005 and before the Egyptian presidential elections at the time, President Mubarak added that the American plan included participating in striking Libya from the Egyptian territories, or that Egypt was unilaterally directing the strike, which Mubarak rejected, saying that he could not present to Parliament a plan to strike a neighboring Arab country. He said that this principle is a firm commitment in Egyptian politics and cannot be deviated from.