Patrick Kingsley of
the Guardian reports on a statement released on August 3rd by Amr Moussa of Egypt:
Egypt should consider the
possibility of a military response to the unrest in neighbouring Libya, one of
the country's elder statesmen has argued, prompting speculation in Egyptian
media that Cairo is mulling an armed intervention.
Amr Moussa, Egypt's former foreign
minister and former secretary-general of the Arab League, said in a statement
on Sunday that the current upheaval in Libya, which lies on Egypt's western
border, had major implications for Egyptian national security.
"The situation in Libya is a
major concern for Egypt, Libya's neighbouring countries, and the Arab world at
large," Moussa said.
"Statelets, sects and
extremist factions in Libya directly threaten Egypt's national security. I call
for a broad public debate to sensitise public opinion to the risks, and to
build the necessary support in case we have to exercise our right to
self-defence."
Moussa's prominence - and his
closeness to Egypt's president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, for whom he has at times
acted as an unofficial mouthpiece – has led to speculation that an Egyptian
offensive in Libya is on the table.
"Libya burns, and Egypt
approaches a military solution", read the front page of al-Masry al-Youm,
one of the country's largest private broadsheets.
Not everyone, however, was
convinced. "A seasoned politician should know the limits of state
intervention in other countries, even if they represent a threat to us,"
the security analyst and former army officer Khaled Okasha told al-Watan
newspaper.
Moussa's statement builds on
Egyptian fears that factional fighting in Libya, which has forced most western
diplomats to flee the country, could spill over the border. Last month, those
fears were compounded by the killing of 21 Egyptian soldiers near the border
with Libya.
Concerns have been deepened in
recent days by 13,000 Egyptian migrant workers who have fled to Libya's
Tunisian border, many with frightening stories of their treatment by Libyan
militias.
The upheaval has strengthened
Sisi's position in Egypt, where his supporters believe strong leadership is the
only alternative to the chaos in Libya and Syria, even if it comes at the cost
of everyday freedoms.
Egypt's foreign affairs spokesman
declined to comment on Moussa's statement. Another government source said they
knew of no immediate plans to intervene in Libya.
* * *
Patrick Kinsley, “Egypt
should consider military action in Libya, says senior statesmen,” The
Guardian, August 4, 2014
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