UK supports Egypt-brokered Libya ceasefire, if it has UN backing

Fighting due to stop on Monday as part of agreement

James Cleverly, UK Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa. Reuters

Britain has joined Russia and several Arab states in supporting a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt in Libya, but insists the deal must have the backing of the UN.

The truce deal in Libya was announced on Saturday.

As part of the deal brokered by Cairo, the UN was called on to invite the leaders of Libya’s warring factions to its headquarters in Geneva to negotiate an agreement on how to implement the plan.

The proposals called for a ceasefire from Monday morning, the withdrawal from Libya of “foreign mercenaries” and the disarming and dismantling of militias.

They also included the formation of a panel representing all three regions of Libya – west, east and south – to draft a new national constitution.

Other proposals include a three-man presidential council to pick a prime minister, and for a government with representation of the three regions proportionate to the size of their populations.

The British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly, said on Sunday that the UK welcomed attempts by Egypt to encourage eastern Libyan leaders to support a ceasefire, but it must have a UN backing.

“The Libyan National Army and Government of National Accord need to engage urgently in the UN’s talks, the path to an inclusive solution,” he said in a tweet.

The Russian embassy in Cairo also welcomed the political agreement, while the UAE has declared its support for the initiative.

“The Emirates declares its support for the good Egyptian efforts calling for an immediate ceasefire in Libya,” the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said in a tweet on Saturday.

Libya has been at war since 2011, since an uprising that killed long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

The North African country has been divided into rival groups in the east and west.

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose stronghold is in the east of the country where a rival parliament is based, launched an offensive in April last year to capture Tripoli from the GNA and the militias that support it.

Several ceasefire attempts have failed, with the country descending into more violence.

The latest ceasefire announcement was made a day after Turkish-backed forces loyal to the GNA reportedly captured the last major stronghold near Tripoli held by Field Marshal Haftar’s Libyan National Army.

More than 16,000 Libyans have been displaced during recent battles in which forces of the government in Tripoli wrested back control of western Libya, the UN said on Sunday.