Handout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Egypt stressed its rejection of any foreign intervention in its neighbour Libya, during a visit by top Egyptian officials on Sunday.
The delegation was headed by Assistant Foreign Minister for Neighbouring Countries Mohamed Badr El-Din Zayed and included the Egyptian Ambassador to Libya Mohamed Abu Bakr and representatives of several ministries, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.
Zayed met with President of Libyan House of Representatives Augeila Saleh and stressed the fundamentals of the Egyptian position towards Libya, foremost among which is “preserving the unity and territorial integrity of the Libyan state” and the rejection of foreign intervention in Libyan affairs.
Zayed also stressed the “need to end violence and start national dialogue that includes all political forces that renounce violence”.
The delegation also discussed ways to support Libya in various fields including on political and security levels.
Recent violence in Libya has been a major concern for its neighbours. Zayed represented Egypt at a meeting of Libya’s neighbours hosted in Tunisia in July. They agreed to form a security committee and a political committee to offer the troubled country help to end its crisis.
Cairo is expected to host another meeting for representatives of Libya’s neighbouring countries at the end of this month to discuss the approval of “a number of ideas, recommendations and a set of proposals in solidarity and support for the Libyan people”.
Violence has continued to ebb and flow in Libya since the overthrow of former president Muammar Gaddafi who was killed in October 2011 by militant fighters. Violence surged once more earlier this year when retired General Khalifa Haftar began a campaign to root out “terrorism” in Benghazi. Libya’s government denounced his actions and declared him an outlaw.
The delegation’s trip comes on the same day as a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and United States’ Libya envoy David Satterfield, in which they discussed Libya as well as other countries in the region.
Earlier this month, Shoukry visited Tunisia and the Libya-Tunisia border area, where thousands of Egyptians are stuck, to help facilitate their evacuation, amid intensified Egyptian efforts and coordination with Tunisia to achieve the same end. An emergency airlift set up to evacuate the citizens was removed on Sunday, after more than 11,500 Egyptians were returned home.
Libya hosts an Egyptian community of 1.6 million, according to Libyan Ambassador to Egypt Mohammed Fayez Jibril.
