President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi called on the United Nation’s Security Council Tuesday for international intervention in Libya, according to state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram.
The request comes a day after the Egyptian armed forces carried out an airstrike on self-proclaimed “Islamic State” in response to their killing of 21 Coptic Egyptians.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left early Monday for the US to conduct talks with the UN and Security Council member states.
Al-Sisi had requested that Shoukry participate in an international summit on terrorism, to encourage the international community’s activity on the matter. Shoukry would also ask for procedures consistent with the UN Charter, considering that events in Libya are a threat to international peace and security.
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini met the Special representative of the UN Secretary General for Libya Bernardino León Monday evening in Madrid.
Mogherini and León discussed the need to increase diplomatic work to unite the different Libyan parties in a common effort to face the threat of “Islamic State”, said an EU press release.
“They will intensify contacts in these hours to guarantee the appropriate regional and international support to the UN-led process,” the EU said.
Both Al-Sisi and the military prefer a potential cooperation with Europe as a more effective strategy, especially since Egypt’s regional friends in Europe have paved the way for such a strategic alliance.
In addition to Libya, “Islamic State” operates in Iraq and Syria, and in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula through Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis group, who pledged allegiance to “Islamic State” in November and renamed itself “State of Sinai”. Repeated attacks in Egypt by the latter group are targeting security personnel, with the latest being the decapitation of eight civilians accused of “collaborating with the Egyptian army”.
