Libyan factions agree on carrying on unity talks in Cairo

CAIRO – 23 March 2018: Libyan military factions announced on Thursday that the sixth round of the negotiation on the unification of the Libyan military establishment will carry on in Cairo.

In a press release issued at the conclusion of Friday’s meeting, the Libyan factions convening in Cairo agreed on the continuation of their talks in aim to complete the establishment of the four technical committees that the Libyan factions agreed on forming during the previous rounds of talks as an initial step towards the consolidation of the military establishment of Libya.

The meeting also concluded with reaffirming the participant’s keenness to move ahead with unifying the Libyan army whose top priority is to maintain and preserve Libya’s national security and peace and stand firm against foreign interferences.

They stressed on the importance of the ongoing talks, conducted under the Egyptian patronage, in ensuring that the Libyan army will be kept away from any polarizations so that it could be able to carry out its role in protecting the Libyan territories as well as taking the political situation forward.

Egypt has already hosted several meetings to bring all Libyan disparate factions to the negotiations table in order to create a national Libyan Army led by Khalifa Haftar.

Since 2011, Libya has been witnessing severe devastating political escalations, which worsened with the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group that has killed hundreds of innocent civilians. Their operations in Sirte were of particular gravity when the city was taken and turned into a stronghold for the terrorist group. The situation inside Libya became complex, and some politicians and experts felt there were no political means of reunifying the country. Now, however, with the aid and support of the Arab countries, Libya seems to be on the right track to achieving full political and civil rights.