President Sisi announces peace initiative to end conflict in Libya

CAIRO - 6 June 2020: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Cairo's plan for a ceasefire in Libya, beginning June 8, after a tripartite meeting with the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar and Speaker of Libyan Parliament Aqela Saleh on Saturday.

Sisi said that the political initiative, which he called the “Cairo initiative” would pave the way for a return to normal life in Libya. President Sisi warned against using military tactics to resolve the crisis.

A political solution is the only way to resolve the crisis in Libya, Sisi said, adding that Libya's security is a pillar for Egypt's security.

All Libyan parties have been asked to partake in the ceasefire, al-Sisi said, adding that LNA Chief Haftar and the eastern parliament head Aguila Saleh are committed to protecting the Libyan people’s best interests.

Under the guidelines of the ceasefire, all foreign fighters must withdraw from Libya, he added.

For his part, Field Marshal Haftar said that the Turkish intervention in the Libyan conflict reinforced the aggravation of the situation in Libya and threatens stability.

Haftar pointed out that the whole world is witnessing Turkey's support for terrorism and the transfer of terrorist elements from one place to another in the Middle East and North Africa, which further complicates the solution to the Libyan crisis. Haftar emphasized Libya's unity and territorial integrity and the elimination of terrorist groups classified by Security Council resolutions, as well as calling for a Libyan dialogue immediately with the participation of all segments of the people.

For his part, the Libyan Speaker of Parliament said that the Libyan National Army (LNA) abided by the humanitarian truce, but the Al-Wefaq government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj did not abide by it.

Saleh stressed that when the army moved to Tripoli, it was aimed at fighting terrorists, not targeting civilians.

et sheds the light on the main features of the initiative as follows:

* It obliges all foreign parties to remove all foreign mercenaries nationwide and dismantling of militias and a handover of weapons to allow the LNA to cooperate with other security apparatuses to undertake their military duty as well as completing the path of the Military 5 + 5 Commission in Geneva.

* The initiative also aims to ensure a fair representation of all three regions of Libya in forming a presidential council, which will be elected by the Libyan people under the supervision of the United Nations for the first time in the country’s history.

* The Presidential Council shall take its decisions by a majority, except for sovereign decisions related to the armed forces, which shall be decided upon in the presence of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

* Each region should form an electoral college whose members are chosen from the House of Representatives and the state alongside tribal elders and notables, taking into account the representation of women and youth.

* The United Nations must supervise the electoral complexes in general to ensure the integrity of the electoral process for selecting candidates for the Presidential Council.

* Each region must obtain a proportional number of portfolios according to the population.

The transitional period is set to take 18 months, and can be increased by maximum period of six months, during which all Libyan state institutions are re-organized, especially the main economic institutions: the Central Bank, the National Oil Corporation and the Libyan Investment Corporation.

* The necessary executive measures must be taken to unify all economic and monetary institutions in eastern, southern and western Libya, and implement structural economic reforms, in addition to preventing Libyan funds from reaching the militias.