News Analysis: Egypt seeks Libya's stability to maintain national security, uproot cross-border terrorism

Egypt has recently been hosting dialogue between conflicting Libyan parties and seeking stability of the neighboring turmoil-stricken country due to the Libyan strategic significance for the Egyptian national security and also as part of the Egyptian ongoing war against terrorism, said Egyptian political experts.

Over the past two days, Egypt hosted high-profile talks between head of Libya's UN-brokered unity government Fayez Serraj and head of the Libyan parliament Aqila Saleh in an attempt to resolve the political deadlock in Libya.

"The meetings aimed to bring the views closer through a Libyan dialogue to find the suitable solutions in order to maintain the interests of the Libyan people," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

Saleh's parliament backs Libya's strong military general Khalifa Hifter but rejects the Serraj's unity government, which is the main reason for the stalemate.

STRATEGIC DEPTH

Egypt used to host Libyan parties separately, but this time the new development is that both parties, Serraj and Saleh, are present face to face for the first time in months.

"Egypt gives the Libyan issue a strategic priority, as Libya's division represents strategic danger and extraordinary security threat to Egypt, which cannot afford dealing with a divided Libya," said Ahmed Eliba, a researcher at the Cairo-based Regional Center for Strategic Studies.

Eliba explained that Egypt tries to limit the differences between the two parties for a future settlement, expressing belief that a resolution will gradually be reached sooner or later to end the current crisis.

"The current Libyan political crisis practically divides the country in half and drags Libya to further division. So Egypt works hard to eventually reach a settlement in Libya via direct talks between the two parties, as their separation would deepen division in the country," the expert told Xinhua.

He argued that Egypt seeks to avoid dealing with a divided Libya and so it works on a settlement between Tobruk and Benghazi.

For his part, Mohamed Megahed al-Zayyat, adviser to the Regional Center for Strategic Studies, said that Libya is "a basic element for the Egyptian national security," stressing that stability in Libya is a necessity for the Egyptian administration.

"The lack of a central state in Libya now opens door for the growth of terror activities in Libya and the centralization of terror groups that may directly undermine the Egyptian national security," Zayyat told Xinhua.

He added that such Egyptian initiatives clearly indicate Egypt's return as an active player in the Middle East region with a strong regional role that has been missing for a long time.

ANTI-TERROR WAR

Egypt has been suffering growing anti-government terrorist activities since the military removed former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and launched a massive security crackdown on his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Later on, the new military-oriented leadership declared a "war against terrorism" nationwide, fighting against affiliates of the regional Islamic State (IS) militant group in the country's Sinai Peninsula and also those in the Western Desert.

In July 2014, at least 21 Egyptian soldiers were killed and several others wounded in a terrorist attack against security forces at Al-Farafra Oasis in the country's Western Desert. Later in February 2015, the IS militant group released a video showing beheading of 20 Egyptians near the Libyan city of Sirte.

"Egypt's mediation in Libya talks is an Egyptian precautious policy within the framework of its war against terrorism. The anti-terror war should not be restricted to the Egyptian territories but should extend to the areas via which militants can infiltrate into the Egyptian borders," Zayyat said.

The expert argued that Libya in particular is a center of terror activity that directly poses a threat to the Egyptian national security.

Saeed al-Lawindi, a political researcher at Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that the weapons used in the Farafra Oasis attack turned out to be coming from Libya, and so Egypt works on uprooting the resources for terrorism in Libya to prevent the couttry from turning into a den for IS militants.

"Also the case of the 21 Egyptian Copts slaughtered at the Libyan coast is a strong signal that the Libyan security and stability influences Egypt and its citizens," Lawindi told Xinhua. Endit