UAE and Egypt welcome agreement for Libya talks

Warring sides have said they will return to UN-led peace talks

Fighters loyal to the internationally recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) are pictured during clashes with forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar in an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on June 1, 2020.
Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces said they retook a district south of Tripoli, after a series of losses to pro-unity government troops. The 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi plunged Libya into years of chaos, with two rival administrations and scores of militias struggling for power. Haftar, who controls much of eastern and southern Libya, launched an offensive last spring to seize Tripoli from the United Nations-recognised GNA.

/ AFP / -

Fighters loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord are pictured during clashes with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar in an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli . AFP

The National

Jun 03, 2020

The UAE and Egypt have welcomed the news that warring sides in Libya have agreed to return to UN peace talks after more than a year of fighting.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry agreed that a political solution that supports peace, security and stability in all parts of Libya was the only way to solve the situation.

"The UAE and Egypt also affirmed that they stand with the Libyan people and all parties calling for calm to save lives of innocent civilians and to achieve stability in Libya, especially with the continuation of humanitarian efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic," a statement said.

The Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministries “called for parties to fully commit to the political process under the auspices of the United Nations and the Berlin Conference”.

The Berlin Conference in January resulted in efforts to reach a ceasefire but that initiative stalled before this week’s announcement that parties were ready to resume discussions.

For more than a year, the Libyan National Army under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has been trying to capture the capital from the Government of National Accord headed by Fayez Al Sarraj.

A Syrian fighter from the Turkish-backed Al Hamza division takes a selfie with his mobile telephone as fellow fighters fire a missile from Syria's rebel-held Aleppo province toward regime-held areas. AFP

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Both leaders are reportedly on their way to talks abroad even as fighting continues.

Mr Al Sarraj was expected in Ankara late last night, Turkish broadcasters reported. His deputy, Ahmed Maiteeq and GNA Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala earlier arrived in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the presence of Russian prisoners in the Libyan capital of Tripoli was the main obstacle to co-operation between the countries.

Meanwhile, Field Marshal Haftar travelled to Egypt to meet defence officials, a source told Reuters

The latest flurry of meetings came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian to discuss the situation in Libya.

A State Department readout of the conversation said the pair discussed “steps to reduce violence and advance a negotiated political solution to end the conflict in Libya.”