Abdel Rahim Ali praised Cairo Declaration to end Libya’s crisis

Abdel Rahim Ali, the Egyptian MP, Islamism expert and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris (CEMO) praised Cairo Declaration to end Libya’s crisis.

Ali highly supported the new joint political initiative of the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, with Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Libya's Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, aimed at ending conflict in Libya.

This initiative calls for respecting all international efforts and initiatives by declaring a ceasefire, Ali said.

He also added the sovereignty of Libya and its unity should be protected, pointing out that Cairo Declaration is the best way to end the Libyan conflict.

Ali call for the international community to back Egypt’s initiative while respecting all efforts, international initiatives and Security Council resolutions on the unity and territorial integrity of Libyan lands.

It obliges all foreign parties to “remove all foreign mercenaries nationwide and the dismantling of militias and a handover of weapons to allow the LNA to cooperate with other security apparatuses to undertake their military duty.

It also includes resolving the crisis through ensuring a fair representation for Libya’s three provinces through a presidential council elected by the nation under a UN supervision for governance in the country for the first time in the country’s history.

It would also see a starting point to unify Libyan institutions to allow it to carry duties and ensure a fair and transparent distribution of Libyan resources on all citizens, precluding the possession of any extremist groups or militias on the state’s capabilities.

The declaration also sees an adoption of a constitutional declaration that governs the upcoming period politically.

Ali said that the Cairo Declaration confirms the important Egyptian role to solve the Libyan crisis, save the blood of Libyan brothers, protect the security of the region in general, and stop external efforts to tamper with and sabotage in the region. 

For his part, Haftar expressed appreciation for Egypt's efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis and obliterate terrorism and extremism in Libya.

He also expressed rejection of Turkey's interference in the Libyan conflict, saying it would "enhance the state of internal polarization.