By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 31 August 2014:
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri left on a five-day European tour today, in an effort to . . .[restrict]bolster international support as Egypt faces increasing volatility within the region, particularly from its western neighbor, Libya.
While in Europe, Shoukri will visit French President Francois Hollande, who called three days ago for “exceptional” support for Libya from the United Nations, cautioning that inaction could lead to the spread of terrorism. The foreign minister is also expected consult with foreign minister Laurent Fabius and members of the French business community, the Egyptian ministry has said.
Shoukri is also slated to travel to Berlin, where he will meet German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller and leaders from the German parliament.
The foreign minister will round off his trip in Italy, where he will meet with Italian foreign minister Federica Mogherini and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, Fabrizio Cicchitto.
Shoukri plans to raise regional and international issues, including the situations in Libya, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, and Iraq. He also plans to consult with his European counterparts on the issue of terrorism and its threat to international peace and security.
The trip comes just days after Shoukri hosted nearly a week of meetings in Cairo involving representatives from Libya and its neighboring countries of Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan.
Coming out last week’s meetings, Libya’s neighbours called for the “gradual” disarmament of warring militias with regional sponsorship and international support.
The call came in tandem with a unanimous vote by the UN to take action against those who threaten Libya’s stability and democratic process, broadening the parameters of existing UN sanctions on the country to include both travel bans and financial penalties. These would be aimed at those groups and individuals that have, say the Egyptians, supported acts that “threaten the peace, stability or security of Libya”.
In light of this resolution, the UN has instructed Libya’s neighbours to inspect all cargoes to and from Libya to ensure that they do not contain arms and munitions or any other illicit items. [/restrict]
