Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called for efforts to reach an agreement in Libya and adopt it in parliament before the end of December, at the Friends of Libya meeting held in Algeria Tuesday.
Shoukry said this is necessary “so we do not have to consider alternative plans that may face resistance from some parties in Libya”. Fighting terrorism and securing Libyan territories, especially Tripoli, is the mission of the Libyans themselves and he noted that there should not be outside intervention.
He also urged to lift the embargo on exporting weapons to the internationally-recognised Tobruk-based government to be able to secure Libya. He further reaffirmed the necessity of activating UN Security Council resolution No. 2214, which calls for the Sanctions Committee on Libya to make a decision on Libya’s requests for the restoration of its arms.
“The international disregard of those repeated requests is what led to the spread of terrorism and associated activities of organized crime, including trafficking in human beings, the smuggling of illegal migrants through our states, and across the Libyan coasts to Europe,” he said.
Libya’s warring parties are very close to a deal on forming a unity government and could sign a long-awaited accord in a month, newly-appointed UN Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler said.
“In the upcoming days, I will present a roadmap for a rapid conclusion of the process and the signing of the Libyan political agreement,” Kobler said on his official Twitter account.
“To those not yet assured of dialogue’s outcomes, I emphasized that the agreement provides a workable basis for overcoming Libya crisis, Their concerns will be best addressed through a strong and legitimate government,” Kobler later said.
He also said neighbouring countries play a crucial role in stabilising the situation in Libya.
