Egypt pledges support for Libya’s interim government

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi yesterday pledged his country’s support for the interim executive authority in Libya, Anadolu news agency reported.

Al-Sisi’s promise came during two separate phone calls made to Mohammad Menfi, the head of the Libyan Presidency Council, and interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh to congratulate them on the formation of the temporary executive authority.

“The selection of the new Libyan leadership marks the beginning of a new era for the work of all Libyan state institutions,” Al-Sisi told Menfi, stressing that Egypt will “continue to provide support and assistance to the Libyan brothers on the economic, security and military levels.”

The Egyptian president also confirmed in his phone call to Dbeibeh that Egypt is ready to “continue to meet all the needs of the Libyans to restore stability and complete the Libyan state administration mechanisms.”

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Recently, Egypt’s position on the Libyan crisis witnessed a remarkable shift, after years of providing military and logistical support to renegade General Khalifa Haftar, in December an Egyptian security and diplomatic delegation visited the Libyan capital Tripoli and later received Libyan government officials.

Libya has been suffering from an armed conflict for years, as Haftar’s militia fought against the internationally recognised government for authority, causing civilian deaths and injuries, along with massive material damage.