Sisi, Italy’s PM agree on need to settle Libyan crisis: Presidency

CAIRO – 26 December 2019: President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday affirmed Egypt’s firm stance supporting stability and security in Libya and seeking to activate Libyan people’s will, in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the Presidency said.

Sisi also stressed Egypt’s support to the efforts of the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar, to combat terrorism, eliminate terrorist organizations which represent a threat on the security of Libya, the region, and the Mediterranean, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement.

The president also voiced rejection of foreign intervention in the Libyan domestic affairs.

For his part, Conte said Italy is keen to find a solution to the current situation and to settle the Libyan crisis, which he said threatens the whole region. He also stressed the need to restore stability in Libya and to enable the African country to recover the power and efficiency of its institutions.

The two leaders, during the phone call, also discussed issues related to the strategic bilateral relations between Egypt and Italy. They confirmed their countries’ willingness to develop cooperation in all fields and work on boosting special relations between them.

They also discussed the ongoing mutual investigation on the mysterious murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo almost four years ago.

Stance toward Libya

Egypt has earlier condemned the signing of the two memoranda of understanding on security and maritime jurisdictions between Ankara and the so-called Government of National Accord led by Sarraj, which the Libyan parliament no more recognizes.

“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,” the foreign ministry said in a separate 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 managing the council’s affairs. All attempts to build legal arrangements with any other country comprise a serious breach of the Skhirat Agreement.

The MoUs have 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,” the ministry 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.