Egypt claims legitimate right to intervene in Libya

Egypt has said it has a "legitimate" right to intervene in Libya's civil conflict, which has shut in most of that country's crude production since January.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) against advancing past a "red line" of Sirte and Jufra, from where the Tripoli administration seeks to remove Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). The latter's 14-month battle to take control of Libya's capital Tripoli has been backed by Egypt.

"We have to intervene, given the situation that threatens our security. It has become legitimate for us to intervene with our military forces," al-Sisi said.

Libya's House of Representatives (HoR), the legislative body formed by the UN that recently disallied itself from Haftar, said it welcomed and had called for Sisi's statement. The GNA said that foreign interference, such as Egypt's statement, was "reprehensible" and "a declaration of war."

But the LNA is not the only side with external support. Turkish backing for the GNA has allowed it to score two victories against the LNA, at the al-Watiya airbase in mid-May and at Haftar's last stronghold near Tripoli, Tarhuna, in early June. The GNA has since declared its intention to advance to Sirte, ignoring a ceasefire proposal from Cairo on 6 June.

"[The] GNA thinks, and we support this idea, that everyone should go back to their positions, back in 2015. Sirte and Jufra need to be evacuated by the Haftar forces," Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said. Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry condemned Turkey's presence in Libya.

Another Haftar ally, Russia, liaised with Turkey at the weekend, when foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu of "the need for an early establishment of a ceasefire" and inter-Libyan dialogue under UN auspices, according to the Russian foreign ministry. Lavrov also spoke with Egypt's Shoukry today, when he called for a sustainable truce.

The White House National Security Council yesterday urged parties in the Libyan conflict "to commit to a ceasefire and resume negotiations immediately," referring to the Cairo initiative, the Berlin negotiations and the recently restarted inter-Libyan 5+5 committee talks that comprise five GNA and five LNA officials.

Egypt on 19 June requested an extraordinary, Libya-focused meeting of the Arab League to be held today. But this has been postponed until tomorrow, and the GNA's attendance is uncertain. GNA spokesman Mohamed al-Qablawi said that Sisi's position undermined UN Security Council resolutions and that the GNA would boycott the Arab League assembly.

Most of Libya's onshore oil facilities and export terminals have been shut since January. State-owned NOC earlier this month made a fleeting attempt to restart the 300,000 b/d El Sharara and the neighbouring 130,000 b/d-capacity El Feel fields, but halted operations at both after a few days.

By Ruxandra Iordache and Riyan Zerrouki