Libyan foreign minister says peace deal should be reached by end of August

Aug 27, 2015 Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Dairi recently confirmed that a peace agreement between his country’s disputing parties will be reached before the end of August.

This was made known during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, where he also emphasized the critical need for the agreement, given the increased cases of ISIS inspired attacks in Libya.

“There is a timetable and by the end of August we should reach an agreement. We wish that the agreement will be signed by the first week of September because time is of the essence and Libya is facing dangerous challenges caused by Islamic State and other dangerous terrorist groups,” he said.

The Islamic State has exploited the security vacuum created by the warring parties to expand its territory in Libya with Sirte being its main base.

Four years after the ousting of veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been characterized by two rival governments and parliaments along with an assortment of Islamists tribesmen and armed groups, battling for control over cities and regions.

During an urgent meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, the Libyan government recently called to the Arab League members for military intervention as it strives to defeat Islamic State militants in the Sirte.

Egyptian Foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, during a press conference said that Egypt is following the situation in Sirte closely and also solicited for the support of the international community for Libya.

“We have been following what is happening in Sirte and the aggressive attack by the extremist organization of Islamic State and others. This calls for the international community to rise to the responsibility of providing full support to the Libyan government,” he said.

Egypt had reported increased security along its 1,000 km long border with Libya, where the Islamic State has made inroads.