Egypt urges political solution to Libyan crisis

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi underlined on Saturday Egypt's continued efforts for a political solution to the Libyan crisis, a presidency statement said.

"Egypt encourages dialogue among the different sides to restore stability in Libya and maintain unity of its lands," Sisi said in a meeting with Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army.

"Egypt keeps in contact with all Libyan political powers in a bid to resume dialogue on various issues," the presidency statement said.

Highlighting the importance of unifying the Libyan military institutions and lifting the arms embargo imposed on the country, Sisi said the flow of funds and weapons to terrorist organizations must be stopped.

Concerned about security of its western border, Egypt has hosted a series of meetings in recent months to find a way to end Libya's political turmoil.

On Dec. 26, 2015, Cairo officially announced its recognition of and support for Libya's presidency council of the Government of National Accord led by Fayez Seraj, which was formed from the Libyan Political Agreement signed under the auspices of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Egypt also provides direct support to Seraj's rivals in Tobruk, particularly to Haftar, who Sisi called "the savior of Libya from terrorism" in April 2016.

Since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition. Endit