The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said that any ceasefire arrangements in Libya will not succeed or last long if they are not accompanied by clear obligations and provisions. While Iraq determined its position on the crisis, Egypt again threatened to take decisive action.
This came in a speech delivered by Aboul Gheit today, Tuesday, during the meeting of the Arab League Council at the level of foreign ministers on Libya.
The Secretary-General of the university pointed out that these obligations include removing those he described as mercenaries and foreign fighters from the country, dismantling armed militias, and stopping all forms of foreign military interventions in Libya.
Aboul Gheit considered that there is no alternative to a comprehensive political solution to settle the Libyan crisis in all its aspects, stressing the rejection of any military solutions to the conflict.
Aboul Gheit stressed the rejection of any plans to divide Libya into areas of influence and cause a permanent rift in the Libyan community fabric. He added, "Our aim is to stop the fighting and reduce the dangerous military escalation in Libya and reach an immediate calm on all front lines, especially around Sirte."
For his part, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that his country supports all regional and international initiatives that help in strengthening security and stability in Libya and rejects foreign interference in its internal affairs.
As for the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, he stressed that Cairo will not hesitate to take every measure to prevent Libya from falling under the control of what it calls terrorist groups and militias.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi waved military intervention after defeating the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar in the Libyan West.
Haftar receives political and military support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, while Turkey supports the reconciliation government recognized by the United Nations.
Russian statement
to this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov renewed his country's call for an urgent cease-fire in Libya, and the resumption of dialogue between the parties, based on the outputs of the Berlin Conference.
He stressed that understanding should be reached on "who has the right to use military force within the Libyan state," and said, "After the Berlin conference, a 5 + 5 committee was formed, which was entrusted with working on a concept on military force within the settlement."
"We are starting from the fact that there is no alternative to a political solution to the crisis, and external players must create conditions for dialogue between the Libyan parties.
He said that Turkey and Egypt agree with Russia's approach to settling the conflict, after he held phone conversations with the foreign ministers of the two countries.
In a related context, the Russian Information Agency quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying today, Tuesday, that the report that reported the presence of a Russian military in Libya was based on doubtful sources and inaccurate information and called for investigation.
A UN report indicated in May that Russia's private military contractor, Wagner Group, had up to 1,200 people in Libya.
It is clear that the data has been forged and that the group of experts that published the report seeks to tarnish the image of Moscow's policy in the region, said Russian Foreign Ministry official Peter Elchev.
The American position, for
its part, said Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Pashaga that the military defeat of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter increased consensus with the United States on a political solution in Libya.
And he considered in a tweet on Twitter today, Tuesday, that "this confirms that the aggressive coup mentality is destroyed and not built."
Pashaga’s comments came one day after a meeting of President of the Presidential Council for the Government of Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, with General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US Military Command in Africa (AFRICOM) and the US ambassador to Tripoli, Richard Norland.
The Libyan minister indicated that the meeting agreed on the need to end illegal foreign interventions and support Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity from any external threats.
He continued that the meeting also touched on the work to dismantle the outlaw militia, as it is one of the causes of instability and support the efforts of the Libyan government.