Sisi and Macron discuss developments in Libya

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday discussed recent developments and the concerted efforts to achieve security and stability in Libya.

This came during their meeting in Brest, France, as part of the Egyptian president’s participation in the One Ocean summit relating to environmental issues, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

This took place a day after the Tobruk-based Council of Deputies appointed former Libyan Minister of the Interior Fathi Bashagha as head of government to serve as PM instead of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed “developments on a number of regional issues of common interest, in particular, the developments in Libya,” according to the same statement.

The statement indicated that the two sides: “Agreed on concerted efforts to help the Libyan brothers restore security and stability in the country, particularly through removing mercenaries and foreign forces in all their forms and eradication of terrorism.”

The French president appreciated the: “Egyptian efforts to safeguard Libyan national institutions and enhance the path of the political settlement of the crisis.”

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On Thursday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared in a statement, following the appointment of Bashagha as head of the Libyan government, that Egypt: “Trusts the ability of the new Libyan government to ensure security, unity and sovereignty of the country, as well as to control the internal conditions and to create the suitable atmosphere for holding of elections.”

The statement called on: “All Libyan national forces and institutions to prioritise the higher interests of the country, to give ear to the voice of reason, to maintain internal stability, and not to be driven by calls of resorting to violence or force to corrupt the current political efforts.”

This step portends a new crisis, as Dbeibeh sticks to the continuation of his government based on the outcomes of the Political Dialogue Forum, which has set the duration of the transitional executive authority at 18 months until June 2022, according to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

The UN confirmed that its position has not changed regarding considering Dbeibeh as the current head of the Libyan government and that it holds ongoing consultations with Libyans on the appointment of a new government – a step welcomed by Commander of the Armed Forces in eastern Libya Khalifa Haftar.

As a result of differences between official Libyan institutions on election laws and the judiciary’s role in the electoral process, it was impossible to hold presidential elections on 24 December.

So far, no new date has been agreed for presidential and parliamentary elections.  Libyans hope that these elections will contribute to ending the conflict in their oil-rich country, where the forces of Haftar fought against the former internationally-recognised Government of National Accord for years.