Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Thursday during a high-level meeting on Libya that Libyans are facing a tough and imbalanced fight against armed groups. He added that the humanitarian and security situation has deteriorated due to violence extending throughout most of Libya, as well as due to some forces refusing a cease-fire and invitations to talk, according to a Friday statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shoukry expressed the need to stop the violence and end the spread of illegal weapons. The minister further said that despite the negative and direct impact of Libya's situation on Egypt's national security, "Egypt adopted a diplomatic way to cope with the challenges" and put its trust in the ability of Libya's neighbouring countries, as well as the Arab, African and international community to take responsibility. Shoukry pointed out that the neighbouring countries of Libya have a mechanism of discussing initiatives and proposals for support and assistance to the Libyan people to restore security and stability and rebuild the state and its institutions. Egypt stressed in the meeting on its constant readiness to fully support the rebuilding of Libya's institutions, said the statement. After several meetings between neighbouring countries, the 4th meeting in Cairo on 25 August ended in putting foundations of dealing with the situation in Libya to preserve the unity and sovereignty of the Libyan state, and non-interference in its internal affairs. The Cairo initiative also called for the immediate cessation of all armed operations and enhancing dialogue with the political parties that renounce violence, as well as for all militias and armed groups' to waiver their weapons. It stressed that foreign parties should not supply illegal groups with weapons and ammunition, and the importance of combating terrorism. Shoukry said that Libya needs a collaborative international determination to deal with terrorism, such as the coalition formed to face the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS). On Wednesday, Egypt participated in a ministerial meeting of the Friends of Yemen group, in which Shoukry expressed the need to unite in the face of the terrorism threat, and the importance of concerted efforts in order to support the state of Yemen, so as not leave it prey to armed groups that use terrorism and extremism as a way to spread an obscurantist ideology. The foreign minister's assistant for multilateral affairs, Hisham Badr, expressed Egypt's readiness to provide all possible assistance to Yemen, through offers made by the Ministry of Defence in the area of training, and the willingness of the Ministry of Interior to provide learning opportunities, as well as the Ministry of Justice's to form an Egyptian-Yemeni committee to look into Yemen's needs in the judiciary fields. The meetings are a part of the United Nations General Assembly 69th session taking place in the US.
