General Libyan declared: "Turkey must be forced to return mercenaries; eliminate terrorist groups" • Egyptian President al-Sisi declared initiative to include "disbanding of militias" in neighboring west

• Khalifa Hafter called for the destruction of terrorist groups

  Photo: 

  Reuters

Is Egypt on the way to significant involvement in the Libyan civil war? Against the backdrop of the west-ravaged state of Khalifa Heffer's army and the fall of the cities of Terahuna, Benny Walid and Abu Qurian, Egyptian President Abd al-Fatah a-Sisi convened a press conference in his palace today to present "Cairo Declaration". The initiative purports to bring a bloody political solution to the bloody conflict but seeks to prepare the ground for the resumption of fighting, with Sisi pointing out that his country's security depends on the stability and security of its neighbor to the west. Tripoli's mayor rejected the initiative outright. 

For 14 months, the forces of the eastern leader of Libya, General Khalifa Heffer, have been besieging the capital Tripoli. In the end, the Islamist-controlled consensus government in the capital was able to repel its people thanks to aid from Turkey. Erdogan and the prime minister agreed a few months ago on an agreement on maritime borders between the states, which meets Istanbul's interests and hence stems, among other things, from the Turkish interest. However, Huffter's army still controls most of the country's territory in the south and east, including the oil fields. So far, the military has received support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, with the Reuters news agency recently reporting that Russian soldiers are being evacuated from the front in Tripoli. 

According to A-Sisi, the "Cairo Declaration" includes all decisions taken under the various international initiatives in favor of Libyan unity. Among its clauses: a call for a ceasefire as of Monday, a demand from the international community to remove all mercenaries from the state, holding elections for a leadership council, pledging to declare the constitution and fair representation to all regions.

At the same time, the initiative also mentions the dismantling of the militias and the delivery of their weapons, with clear intent on the Tripoli government and its allies. As if to illustrate the disregard for the consent government, Al-Sisi also stood by Bangazi's parliamentary chairman, Akila Salah. A-Sisi, Hefter and Saleh were able to achieve reconciliation. 

If that is not enough, Huffter, who noted that Egypt paid a price for its assistance to the Libyan army in the "war on terror," added that its forces would work to deport "settlers," probably referring to the Turkish intervention in the conflict, which "deepens the schism". He also said that Turkey should be forced to stop sending mercenaries and ammunition to Libya, stressing that the danger on its part is not only limited to Libya but also to neighboring countries. He emphasized that Libyan unity and the elimination of terrorist groups should be ensured, and a national unity government formed, and in the end expressed his support for the Egyptian initiative.