Egyptian media reported that a delegation from the Supreme Council of Sheikhs and notables of the Libyan tribes arrived from the city of Benghazi to the Egyptian capital, and the Egyptian presidential spokesman said that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will meet this morning a delegation of the Libyan tribes.
The media quoted a spokesperson for the Supreme Council of Eastern Libya's tribes as saying that the visit aims to confirm the strong historical relationship between the Libyan and Egyptian tribes. The visit comes two days after a statement by the Libyan Parliament in Tobruk, in which he called on the Egyptian army to intervene in Libya to protect the Libyan and Egyptian national security, and to address the Turkish invasion, according to the description of the statement.
The Egyptian media celebrated the visit of the Libyan tribal delegation, which came at the invitation of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, and said that the visit is a "new mandate" for Sisi to interfere in the Libyan conflict for the benefit of the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter.
Sisi statements
At the end of last month, during his participation in a military parade at the Sidi Barani base near the border with Libya, President Sisi threatened to arm and train Libyan tribes in order to repel the internationally recognized reconciliation government forces, if they crossed the Sirte Jafra line, after their remarkable military progress. Haftar's forces will be in the next few weeks and preparing for the start of the battle to retake the coastal city of Sirte.
The Egyptian President considered that any direct intervention of his country in Libya now has international legitimacy, whether for self-defense or based on the only legitimate elected authority in Libya, which is the House of Representatives (in Tobruk). "Our goals will be to protect the western borders, and quickly support security restoration" And stability on the Libyan scene, as part of the Egyptian national security. "
The Al-Wefaq government rejected Al-Sisi's statements, and the head of the Supreme Council of State Khaled al-Mashri said that what was stated in Al-Sisi's statements was “a violation of sovereignty” and a “blatant interference” in Libyan affairs.
The Libyan Parliament in Tobruk issued a statement the day before yesterday authorizing the Egyptian army to intervene to protect what it described as the Libyan and Egyptian national security, "if the need arises."
The council’s statement stated that it is “the only legitimate representative elected by the Libyan people and representative of its free will, confirming its welcome to what was stated in the speech of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the presence of representatives of the Libyan tribes, and we call for concerted efforts between the two sisters, Libya and Egypt, to ensure the defeat of the invading occupier.” .
It is noteworthy that the Libyan parliament elected in mid-2014 was divided into two chambers last year: the first in the easternmost city of Tobruk and headed by Aqila Saleh, and the other in the capital Tripoli, headed by Hammouda Siala.