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| Africa North |
| Young fighters must be absorbed into state institutions says Maetig |
| 2017-04-15 |
| [Libya Herald] "Armed youth" have to be incorporated into state institutions, Presidency Council (PC) deputy Ahmed Maetig has said. But this does not necessarily mean the police or the armed forces, he added in an interview with Egyptian newspaper al-Watan. Referring to Khalifa Hafter and his Libyan National Army forces, Maetig, who has since returned to Libya, also said that it was unacceptable to think that the country’s military forces should be seen as above the government. He further explained that in its efforts to resolve the Libya crisis, Egypt and its President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had put forward some solutions in line with the Libyan Political Agreement. Sisi had also spoken of the need to unify Libya’s state institutions ‐ something Maetig said the PC saw as reason for believing it could count on Egypt’s support. Egypt would, moreover, always have a major role in building united military institutions in Libya, Maetig added. He claimed that had been the case even dating back to the time of King Idris. The PC deputy also welcomed the efforts of Algeria to find a solution to the Libya crisis, praising its "active role" and "professional diplomacy". Maetig was in Cairo this past week for a raft of political meetings. Perhaps most importantly, the Egyptian foreign minster Sameh Shoukry. hHe threw his weight behind the Dialogue and LPA and described it as the only way to bring about reconciliation and stability in Libya. Egypt had long been seen as Hafter’s principal supporter. However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... following his snubbing of PC head Faiez Serraj at a meeting organised in Cairo by the Egyptians in January, Cairo’s patience with Hafter has been seen as waning. |
| Posted by:Fred |