Egypt talks Turkey’s intervention in Libya with US, EU ambassadors

CAIRO - 5 January 2020: The Foreign Ministry held on Sunday a series of meetings with several European ambassadors in Cairo to discuss the latest escalation caused by the Turkish intervention in Libya, according to the ministry's Sunday statement.

Foreign Minister Aide Moataz Zahran and other Egyptian officials met with US ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen and a number of European ambassadors to discuss the latest decision of the Turkish Parliament, which authorized Turkish President Recept Tayeb Erdogan to send Turkish troops to Libya.

The decision violates the international laws and resolutions, particularly the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 in 2011, which calls all member states “to prevent the sale or supply to Libya of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned.”

The Egyptian officials warned against the dire consequences of a Turkish military intervention on the course of the comprehensive settlement in Libya and on the region of North Africa.

"The meeting reflected Egypt’s persistent efforts to prevent all developments that could escalate the situation in the Middle East," the statement added.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry contacted on Saturday the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, the German foreign policy adviser and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union, said the ministry in another statement.

“During these contacts, rejection of Turkey’s escalation in Libya was outlined, and the need to operationalize all possible mechanisms to prevent intervention in Libya as a contravention of international law, and to strive to maintain the chances of reaching a political solution via the Berlin process was affirmed,” the statement read.

On January 2, 2020, the Turkish Parliament voted for Erdogan’s proposal to send Turkish troops to Libya after signing two deals in February 2019 on drawing maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea- one of the largest natural gas resources in the region- and on enhancing military cooperation.

The deals provoked anger in Egypt, Cyprus and Greece that voiced their rejection of the deals as they contradict with the international agreements. “Egypt affirms that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized in light of the fact that Article 8 of the Sukhirat 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 Egyptian Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement.

Shoukry conducted a number of phone calls with his counterparts on January 2, 2020, namely the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Greece and Cyprus, as well as the Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs, to discuss this dangerous escalation by the Turkish side

The Libyan Parliament held Saturday an emergency session, in which it voted on a bundle of decisions, including the rejection of the deals inked between the GNA and Turkey.

The parliament voted unanimously on authorizing General Commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar to disable airports, ports, and land gates that are controlled by the militias.

The parliament further agreed to address the UN Security Council, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the European Union and other international organizations to withdraw the recognition of the GNA.