Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Monday with the head of the United Nations (UN) support mission in Libya, Martin Kobler, to assess the current political and security situation in the country. They also tackled means of supporting the different political Libyan factions to allow them to reach common agreements.
In a statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the official spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid said that Kobler stressed on the importance of the Libyan political agreement that was signed in the Moroccan city Skheirat to stabilise Libya and trigger the role of its national institutions.
Kobler also added that a presidential council should be supported to form a Government of National Accord (GNA), and the Libyan parliament should endorse it. Kobler further continued that Egypt is an important pillar in reaching a solution in Libya, as it has connections to all the factions.
The GNA is an interim government backed by the UN; it was established as a result of a political agreement in December 2015 but failed to achieve relevant success. The government includes 32 ministers aiming to form a united body against Islamic State (IS) militants, especially in Libya’s city of Sirte.
Egypt is directly affected by the political turmoil in Libya due to its proximity and its prevalence in different parts of Libya. Egypt has managed to return thousands of Egyptians through the border of Salloum over the past year.
The turmoil in Libya has increased over the past few years following the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi. The militants and extreme groups have taken over several areas in Libya.
Libya was divided in 2011 into several political factions and the turmoil has since increased; however, the political agreement that was signed in 2015 sought a settlement to the situation. Commander of the Libyan Armed Forces Khalifa Haftar is acting alone without aligning with the GNA, which may cause a civil war.
