Italy's FM says Haftar to visit Rome soon

CAIRO - 18 December 2019: General Khalifa Haftar will be in Rome during the coming weeks, according to Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio.

The minister added in his statements to press upon his arrival from Libya on Wednesday that thesolution to the Libyan crisis will not be military.

According to Italian news agency nova, Di Maio visited the command of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, led by General KhalifaHaftar.

Previously, Di Maio had traveled to Tripoli to meet with Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya, Fayez al Sarraj. At the end of the meeting, the foreign minister said, "There is no military solution to the Libyan crisis".

Di Maio then pointed out that Italy supports the United Nations envoy for the political process in Libya, GhassanSalamé.

This visit comes shortly after Turkey and Libya signedtwo memoranda of understanding on security and maritime jurisdictions.The memoranda were condemned by several countries including Egypt.

“Egypt affirms that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized in light of the fact that Article 8 of the Skhirat Political Agreement on Libya, widely accepted by Libyans, defines the competences conferred to the Council of Ministers, expressly stipulating that the Council of Ministers as an entity – and not the president of the council alone – has the power to conclude international agreements,” Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.

“It is well-known that the Council of Ministers’ membership is clearly incomplete, and that it currently suffers from a serious imbalance in the representation of the Libyan areas. Accordingly, the restricted role of the prime minister is limited to managingthe council’s affairs.All attempts to build legal arrangements with any other country comprise a serious breach of the Skhirat Agreement.

The MoUshave no implications on the rights of the riparian states of the Mediterranean Sea, and do not affect the maritime boundary delimitation system in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” Hafez continued.

Egypt called upon the international community to face this "negative approach," which coincides with Germany’s efforts to reach a comprehensive peaceful solution for the conflicting parties of Libya.