Egypt, Tunisia Assert Support to Libyan People

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Tunisian President Kais Saied at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Tunisian President Kais Saied at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Tunisia Assert Support to Libyan People

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Tunisian President Kais Saied at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Tunisian President Kais Saied at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received Tunisian President Kais Saied at al-Ittihadiya Palace where the two discussed bilateral ties as well as the political situation in Libya.

Presidency spokesman Ambassador Bassam Rady said that the two presidents discussed the latest developments in Libya and stressed the need to intensify joint coordination, especialy that Egypt and Tunisia are two neighboring countries that share borders with Libya.

The two presidents also welcomed the formation of the new Libyan executive authority and affirmed their keenness to support the brotherly Libyan people and consolidate peace and stability.

In a joint press conference, Sisi said the talks asserted the need to activate the Arab role in the Libyan crisis.

He confirmed readiness to provide all forms of support to the new authority, enabling it to perform its role in managing the transitional phase and holding elections at the end of the year.

Sisi also clarified that he discussed with Saeed the necessity of ending foreign interference in Libya, calling for the departure of all foreign forces, mercenaries, and terrorists.

Speaking at the press conference, Saied stressed Tunisia's keenness to activate cooperation frameworks and mechanisms of consultation and coordination with Egypt at all levels, pertaining to bilateral or regional and international issues of common interest.

Saied said that “Egypt's national security is our security, and Egypt's position in any international forum will be our position,” asserting his support to achieving stability and security in Libya.

Meanwhile, the head of Libya's Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi asserted that his country will continue to protect its mutual interests with Turkey.

Menfi said a high-level government delegation will head to Turkey on Sunday for a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral agreements and to boost cooperation in various fields.

Menfi was speaking after receiving the letter of credentials from the newly appointed Turkish ambassador to Libya, Kenan Yilmaz, who affirmed his country's continued support for the council and the government.

For his part, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah asserted that his foreign visits aim to prevent war, calling for solidarity to achieve stability in Libya.



Trump Reiterates Hamas ‘All Hell’ Threats

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday (AP)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday (AP)
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Trump Reiterates Hamas ‘All Hell’ Threats

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday (AP)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday (AP)

The US president-elect has renewed his earlier threat that there will be “hell to pay” if the captives held by Hamas in Gaza are not released by the time he returns to the White House on January 20.
“If they're (hostages) not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Donald Trump told reporters. “And it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don’t have to say any more, but that’s what it is.”
During a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump did not elaborate about what actions he might take if the hostages were not released by the time he enters office.
“They should have never taken them,” Trump told reporters. “There should have never been the attack of Oct 7. People forget that. But there was, and many people were killed.”
The president-elect then invited Steve Witkoff, whom he intends to appoint as his Middle East envoy, to speak to reporters.
“Well, I think we're making a lot of progress, and I don't want to say too much because I think they're doing a really good job back in Doha,” said Witkoff, who had just arrived from Doha, Qatar, where delegations from Israel and Hamas have been negotiating.
“I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president,” the envoy said.
He noted that Trump’s “stature” and “the red lines he’s put out there that’s driving this negotiation.”
Witkoff added that he was “leaving tomorrow” to go back to Doha. “So hopefully it'll all work out and we'll save some lives,” he said.
The envoy said Trump has given him much authority to speak for him decisively and firmly. “I think they (Hamas leaders) heard him loud and clear. [This] better get done by the inaugural,” he said.
At the negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free. In return, Hamas says it would free its remaining hostages only if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from the Gaza Strip, making it harder to ink a deal before the inauguration on January 20.
A senior leader of Hamas, Osama Hamdan, said, “The experience of negotiating with Israel has proven that the only solution to achieve the rights of our people is to engage with the enemy and force it to retreat.”
At a press conference in Algeria on Tuesday, Hamdan said Israel was to blame for undermining all efforts to reach a deal.
“Our clear position in the negotiations is a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation, the exchange of prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza without Israeli conditions,” he said.
Commenting on Trump's threat that there would be “hell to pay” unless all hostages were freed before the inauguration, Hamdan said: “I think the US president must make more disciplined and diplomatic statements.”
Hamdan’s comments came while Israel said it will not end the war until Hamas is eliminated and all the hostages are released.
Israeli Minister of Science and Technology, Gila Gamliel, said on Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip before receiving all the hostages.
For months, Egypt and Qatar have been mediating indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal.
The outgoing US administration has called for a final push for a Gaza ceasefire before President Joe Biden leaves office.
Therefore, Trump’s inauguration on January 20 is now viewed in the region as an unofficial deadline for a truce deal.