Sisi calls on West to support Libya
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi urged the United States and
Europe on Thursday to help the Libyan army in its fight against
militants now to save the country from requiring intervention on the
scale of Iraq and Syria.
Sisi said there was a danger to the
region from conflict in Libya where two governments vie for legitimacy,
one in Tripoli linked to Islamist militias, and an
internationally-recognised government in the eastern city of Tobruk.
Egypt
says militants cross the border to help Egyptian militant group Ansar
Bayt Al Maqdis attack Egypt’s security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.
Ansar swore allegiance earlier this month to Islamic State, which is now
facing US-led air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
“When we deal with
terrorism only in Iraq and Syria, Libya will begin to be an attractive
region affecting the stability of... Libya and its neighbours. We will
need the same measures happening in Iraq and Syria to be taken in
Libya,” Sisi said in an interview with France 24.
“The
international community — Europe and the Americans — must help the
Libyan national army regain its position and combat terrorism in Libya
to restore security and stability.”
Conflict between rival
governments is only exacerbated by tensions between vying tribal groups,
many having helped oust Muammar Qadhafi in 2011.
Sisi reaffirmed on Thursday that Egypt was supporting the Libyan army but said it had refrained from direct intervention.
“If
we intervened directly, I would not hesitate to announce that. But all
we have done so far is to help the Libyan national army, the Libyan
parliament, and the Libyan government.”
Egypt is training Libyan forces on its soil and sharing intelligence in a bid to stamp out militancy next door.
Security
officials say Libyan pilots in Egyptian warplanes bombed militant
targets in Libya earlier this year, but officials in Cairo also say
non-intervention is the guiding policy.
“There are no Egyptian armed forces in Libya,” Sisi said. “We protect our borders from inside our borders.”
Source: gulftoday
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