Egypt, UAE join Western nations in call to end Libya conflict

By AT editor - 17 July 2019 at 6:28 am
Egypt, UAE join Western nations in call to end Libya conflict

The governments of six nations – including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – called Tuesday for a halt to hostilities in Libya, in a joint statement that backed a United Nations process for the country that was derailed in April by the advance on Tripoli of Khalifa Haftar and his forces.

“We fully support the leadership of UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ghassan Salamé as he works to stabilize the situation in Tripoli, restore confidence in order to achieve a cessation of hostilities, expand his engagement throughout Libya, promote inclusive dialogue, and create the conditions for the resumption of the UN political process,” the signatories said.

In addition to Egypt and the UAE, the document was signed by France, Italy, the UK and the United States. There’s been much concern for months over the countries’ various alignments with Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord, their support for Haftar and his Libya National Army (LNA), or both, as well as ongoing migration crises and growing alarm over the return of Islamic State.

“We note our deep concerns about the ongoing attempts by terrorist groups to exploit the security vacuum in the country,” they said, and “call on all parties to the Tripoli conflict to dissociate themselves from all such terrorists and individuals designated by the UN Sanctions Committee, and renew our commitment to see those responsible for further instability held accountable.”

There can be no military solution, they said, in calling for an end to a conflict that has claimed nearly 1,000 lives.

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