Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry praised on Wednesday the unprecedented international consensus on the immediate and full withdrawal of all foreign troops from Libya to allow the Libyan people to continue their political project without the influence of any armed militias or foreign troops. Addressing the Berlin II Conference on Libya in Germany, Shoukry underlined the importance of putting into effect UN resolution 2570 calling for the immediate exit of all foreign forces from Libya. He expressed satisfaction over the conviction of the Libyan authorities and people of the seriousness of the presence of foreign troops on Libya's security, stability and sovereignty, saying certain mechanisms should be put in place to guarantee the implementation of what was agreed upon today. Shoukry said the Berlin II meeting comes 18 months after the first Berlin conference where all participants pledged to back the sovereignty and independence of Libya and to boost UN efforts to launch a lasting and comprehensive political process to end the years-long conflict in the North African country. He referred to Egypt's call, during the first Berlin conference, on all parties to the Libyan conflict to take definite steps to reach a political solution. Also, Egypt warned at the time of the grave consequences of continued conflict in Libya on Arab and African neighbors and that it might be forced to take certain measures to protect its national security in case the Sirte-Jufra red line was crossed. "We see some improvement in Libya and that everything is progressing for the better in light of growing Libyan awareness of the inevitability of reaching a political settlement to the crisis away from the use of weapons and military force," Shoukry stated in his speech released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. He also lauded the pivotal role played by Libya's neighbors to back the political settlement as well as intensive efforts of some regional organisations, including the African Union and the Arab League, in this regard. Shoukry expressed hope that the international community would work side by side with the Libyan presidential council and the national unity government to prepare for the country's general elections, slated for 24 December. He underlined the importance of joining hands and removing all hurdles to holding the elections, calling on all Libyan partners to put aside their differences and place the higher national interest above any other. The Egyptian foreign minister thanked the German government for hosting such an important meeting, expressing hope that the Libyan presidential council would succeed in serving the brotherly Libyans and materialising their aspirations for a better future. Meetings on the sidelines Shoukry also held a series of meetings with a number of foreign ministers as well as European and international officials on the sidelines of the Berlin II conference on Libya. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, Shoukry held talks with his Tunisian counterpart Othman Jerandi on promoting bilateral ties in line with the directives of the leaderships of the two countries. He also held talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, where they discussed the latest regional developments.
