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Arab League tells foreign forces to quit Libya, seeks ceasefire

Egypt has said its army may directly intervene in Libya and France has said it will not tolerate Turkish involvement there.

The Arab League has called for all external actors to cease military intervention in Libya, where warring sides are mobilising near the main oil region.
A virtual emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday said they wanted to head off a new battle in the country. "Libya is passing through a dangerous turn in the course of its conflict," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a statement.
Egypt has said its army may directly intervene in Libya and France has said it will not tolerate Turkish involvement there.
The Arab League chief, who called for safeguarding Libya's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, said all forms of foreign interventions must stop immediately to achieve a ceasefire.
He said that clear commitments to withdrawing mercenaries and foreign militants are key to sustaining a truce.
The UAE reiterated its opposition to the foreign interference in Libyan affairs.
Speaking at the emergency meeting, Dr Anwar Muhammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, stressed the UAE's support to the unity of Libya and the Arab role in its political process.
Calling for an immediate ceasefire and a comprehensive political solution, the minister expressed concern over Turkish interventions threatening the Arab national security, in particular the security of Egypt.
Dr Gargash reiterated the UAE's clear stance on the Libyan crisis stemming from the position of the international community supporting the path of a political process in accordance with the decisions of the United Nations and the Berlin Conference.
Dr Gargash called on all parties to respond to the Egyptian initiative that called for a ceasefire and end to all foreign interference.
He highlighted the centrality of Arab and Egyptian role in resolving the regional issues without the interference of foreign powers who are only working to prolong the crisis in pursuit of their expansionist agendas. He called for concerted regional and international efforts to confront such interventions.
Dr Gargash said the UAE is with Egypt in all its measures to protect its security, stability and its right to self-defence within the framework of international legitimacy.