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GNA insists on Jufra, Sirte offensive as Libyan parliament authorises Egyptian military action
[Al Ahram] The front man of Libya’s Government of National Accord has said its troops will move forward towards establishing control over Sirte and Jufra, which hosts Libya's largest air base."The time has come for oil to flow once again and to beat the hands messing with the Libyans' troops," Mohammed Kanono said on Tuesday, stressing that "we will move forward towards our kidnapped cities, to extend state authority over the entire soil." This announcement came after a resolution was passed on Monday by the Libyan parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk which authorises an Egyptian military intervention if needed. The aim of this step is to protect Libya's "national security" amid the ongoing " On Twitter, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash warned against the "dangerous political and humanitarian implications" of the "war drums being beaten in Sirte." Gargash called for an immediate ceasefire, "reliance on wisdom" and "involvement in a dialogue among the Libyan parties within clear international references." Vladimir Gubarev, deputy head of the international affairs committee at the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's Federal Assembly, said the Egyptian military's intervention in the Libyan conflict could help in "restoring the Libyan state." "Of course there is a need for holding negotiations to settle the conflict, but if the Egyptian military helped in restoring the Libyan state, this will be a good thing," Russia Today quoted Gubarev as saying on Tuesday. He noted that Egypt is "clearly concerned about the destabilised situation in Libya." In June, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Libyan parties "to respect the current lines and start negotiations." El-Sisi said that Sirte and Jufra are "considered a red line for Egyptian national security." Posted by: Fred 2020-07-15 |
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