In a televised address, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Sirte is a "red line" for Egypt, citing the need to protect its porous border as grounds for "direct intervention" in Libya. "Any direct intervention by Egypt now has international legitimacy, whether under the UN charter on self defence or at the discretion of the only legitimate elected authority in Libya: the Libyan parliament," Sisi said. It is also the last major settlement before the traditional boundary between western Libya and Haftar's stronghold in the east. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told AFP in an interview that a ceasefire in Libya would be possible if Haftar's forces withdrew from Sirte and Al-Jufra. On Friday, the Arab League announced plans to hold an urgent virtual foreign ministers meeting on Libya this week at Egypt's request.

Source: Bangkok Post June 20, 2020 22:07 UTC