President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s Speech at the Paris International Conference on Libya

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

My Dear Friend, Your Excellency, President Emmanuel Macron,
President of the Republic of France,

Your Excellency, Chancellor Angela Merkel,
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Mario Draghi,
Prime Minister of the Italian Republic,

Your Excellency, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Ján Kubiš,

Your Excellencies and Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First, I would like to offer my sincere greetings and appreciation to President Emmanuel Macron and to the Republic of France for hosting this important conference. I would also like to welcome his Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al-Menfi, President of the Libyan Presidency Council, and his Excellency Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Al-Dbeibah, Prime Minister of Libya's Government of National Unity, wishing them success in their mission in the service of the brotherly Libyan people and the realization of their aspirations to move ahead toward a better future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our meeting today comes almost two years after the Berlin Conference on Libya, where we pledged together to protect Libya’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We have committed ourselves to supporting UN efforts to launch a comprehensive and sustainable political process, with Libyan leadership and ownership, for the sake of ending the state of conflict and restoring the stability that the entire Libyan people aspire for.

Within this context, I remember that Egypt has sent a clear message to all parties to the conflict in Libya, stating that the time has come to start specific measures conducive to a comprehensive political solution to the Libyan crisis and warning of the continuation of the armed conflict on Libya’s national security and that of its Arab, African and European neighboring countries in general. Thus, we might be forced to take measures to protect our national security and preserve the balance of power in case of its disruption.

This position had its clear impact on the various parties to engage seriously in a political process, under the United Nations auspices.

Egypt’s efforts, driven by multiple bonds it shares with Libya, have focused on finding common ground among the Libyan brothers to launch a national dialogue that addresses the root causes of the crisis on the political, economic and security fronts, in coordination with brotherly countries and the United Nations.
And here we are today meeting to witness how the situation in Libya is evolving to the better. Our meeting coincides with a turning point in the Libyan political process that aims to culminate international and regional efforts by holding elections as scheduled on the 24th of December, 2021.

We look forward to the successful completion of this critical and long-awaited milestone and its fulfilment in a way befitting the heritage of the Libyan people, so that their beloved country restores its status and effective Arab and regional roles.

I would not miss, in this regard, to laud the measures adopted by the Libyan Presidency Council and the Government of National Unity in preparation for the elections and to commend efforts by the Libyan House of Representatives and its coordination with The High National Elections Commission, which is exerting huge efforts to ensure holding the elections. This will allow the Libyan brothers to express their free will and to dash the hopes of those seeking to surpass this crucial step in order to achieve narrow goals, far from the supreme interests of Libya, without recognizing that this will result in a state of public outrage that might take the situation back to square one; this is not what we hope for.

Your Highnesses and Excellencies,

Restoring permanent stability, recovering social peace, and maintaining the national identity and fabric in Libya have their requirements that cannot be surpassed. This is represented in completing a comprehensive national reconciliation among all Libyans and giving due attention to the fair distribution of wealth. This aims to achieve comprehensive development across all Libyan territories, with no exception, so as to push the wheel of economic movement and ensure leveraging Libya’s resources, in fulfilment of its people’s aspirations.

Having said that, within the context of openness among partners and friends and from a realistic perspective, Libya cannot restore its sovereignty, unity or stability except by seriously addressing the main problem that prevents this from happening. This is the presence of foreign forces, mercenaries and foreign fighters on its soil, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions 2570 and 2571; the outcomes agreed upon internationally and regionally emanating from the Berlin 2 Conference; as well as resolutions issued by the Arab League, the African Union and Libya’s neighboring countries with regard to the necessity of the withdrawal of all foreign forces, mercenaries, and foreign fighters from Libya, without exception, discrimination or further procrastination.

Therefore, it is important for the position emerging from our meeting today to be unequivocally clear with regard to rejecting the continuation of the current situation and condemning the ongoing violations of the international resolutions on ending all forms of foreign military presence in Libya. Maybe, it could be more important to launch mechanisms and guarantees to implement what we will agree upon and what The 5+5 Joint Military Commission sincerely and patriotically seeks to achieve through its relevant plan. It is also significant that a binding and clear time-schedule is determined to carry out the evacuation of all foreign forces, mercenaries and foreign fighters, which entered Libya since 2011, so that things do not go back to what happened in several previous stages.

I would like to renew Egypt’s full preparedness to provide all forms of support to the brothers in Libya to implement the plan of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission in this regard, unite the state’s institutions and build the capacities so that the Libyans can possess their resources and become capable of determining their destiny and charting their future.

In this regard, I would like to warn against attempts by some parties, inside and outside Libya, to undermine any progress on this trajectory under false pretexts, thinking that the current status quo, which no free, patriotic Libyan can ever accept, can persist.

I call on all effective players, inside and outside Libya, to live up to the seriousness of the situation, to act responsibly with rational logic and desist from the illusions of expansion and influence. I call on them to stop tampering with the resources and security of others, end the policy of imposing facts on the ground by using military or financial power, and stop providing safe haven and any form of support to terrorist and extremist groups or transferring their elements from country to country. This will help bring Libya out of its crisis and terminate the suffering of its people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to once again confirm that Egypt was and will always be supportive of the Libyan people as well as the ongoing regional and international efforts to achieve their ambitions. Egypt also appreciates, in this respect, the efforts exerted at the Berlin trajectory and by Libya’s neighboring countries and the UN Support Mission in Libya as well as the various regional organizations.

And finally, allow me to address our brothers in Libya directly from the heart I tell them:

“Grandsons of Omar Al Mokhtar, it is time to get inspired by your grandfathers, who sacrificed the dear and precious for the sake of freedom and the independence of the national decision. It is time to expel from your country every foreigner or intruder, no matter what he tells you about his presence being good for you. Good is in your hand if you overcome your differences and decide with resolve to build your country with a free Libyan will. There, you will find Egypt supportive to you and a force that will reinforce your security, choices and legitimate ambitions for a better future and uphold your country’s supreme interests. You will find Egypt extending a helping hand to transfer expertise for the sake of optimizing our joint interests, believing in the unity of the goal on the path of construction, development and progress. This shall help fulfill the aspirations of our brotherly peoples, given the brotherly and neighborly bonds they share in addition to their Arab and African belongingness and common fate.”

Thank you.

May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you all.”