Egypt's readiness to train and arm Libyan tribes is a signal of its determination to defend own security and borders, the African Union's commissioner for peace and security told Sputnik, noting that any intervention in the conflict should pursue the sole goal of bringing warring parties back to the negotiating table
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2020) Egypt's readiness to train and arm Libyan tribes is a signal of its determination to defend own security and borders, the African Union's commissioner for peace and security told Sputnik, noting that any intervention in the conflict should pursue the sole goal of bringing warring parties back to the negotiating table.
Last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said that his country had an internationally legitimate right to intervene in Libya and come to the aid of the eastern administration amid military gains made by the rival Turkish-backed government in Tripoli. According to him, the "red line" for the deployment of troops is the city of Sirte, which is located about 560 miles from the border with Egypt and is one of declared targets of the Tripoli forces.
"I think, in my view, what one has to read out of the declaration of the president is that they are concerned about their own security and their own borders and they want to show that they are really determined to protect their own security," Smail Chergui said.
Everybody, however, understands that the Libyan conflict has no military solution, the commissioner noted.
"So what we are expecting from all of our member-states in the neighboring countries is if they have to intervene is to intervene to make all Libya parties and stakeholders accept to go back to the table of negotiations process. For that we need the contribution of each and every county ... The priority of the day is how we can now make sure that all the fighting will stop, the external interference will stop and convince all the Libyan parties to go back to political process," Chergui said.
Egypt's warning came after the Cairo Initiative, which outlined conditions for a political settlement in Libya and stipulated that warring parties cease fire on June 8, was rejected by Turkey and its allied Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
Earlier on Wednesday, Libya's eastern-based parliament said that it will officially request Cairo's help if the GNA, which has the military backing of Ankara, attempts to seize Sirte or Al Jufra Airbase from the Libyan National Army. The legislature noted that it would be "legal self-defense."
