Sisi, Pompeo tackle Libyan crisis, GERD file

CAIRO - 19 January 2020: On the sidelines of Berlin Conference on Libya on Sunday, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the files of the Libyan crisis and the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

President Sisi affirmed the Libyan crisis should be solved from political, security, and economic aspects, through drafting a mechanism to carry out this solution, said Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi in a statement.

Pompeo expressed his country’s aspiration to cooperate with Egypt on the Libyan file as Egypt has a long experience in dealing with Libyan affairs, Radi added.

President Sisi affirmed Egypt's keenness on enhancing the partnership with the United States to protect the stability and security in the Middle East, Radi continued.

Regarding the Ethiopian Renaissance dam, President Sisi thanked Pompeo for Washington’s efforts in the dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

President Sisi said that he is looking forward to the continuation of the US role to reach a comprehensive agreement that protects Egypt's rights in the Nile water.

Berlin conference on Libya Kicked off Sunday with the aim of concluding a truce between warring parties and paving the way for reconstruction under an elected civilian government.

The conference is attended by Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj, Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame, Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi Algerian President Abdul Majeed Tebboune, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit.

Additional reporting by Noha El Tawil