Meeting Tuesday in Cairo at the call of the Libyan internationally recognized government, the Arab League vowed to support Libya for the fight against bloodsucker ISIS but fell short to promise collective air-raids as the official government had hoped.
The internationally recognized government left the conference unsatisfied as the regional Arab block proved again its division despite pressing demand of action against ISIS in Libya after the group committed atrocities in the city of Sirte last weekend.
The Arab League heeded the Libyans’ call for collective action against ISIS but the group made shallow promises as it did not pledge joint air strikes but only authorized Arab States to provide whatever assistance was deemed necessary in the fight against terrorism, either collectively or individually. An “urgent” Arab strategy to provide military support to Libya in the fight against IS still needed to be devised, the League said.
The meeting diplomatically stressed the need to respect Libya’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and urged Libyans to back the ongoing UN-brokered dialogue. However it revealed again the divisions among member states.
While Jordan, Egypt and UAE were ready to provide military assistance to Libya, Algeria and Qatar suggested that no external intervention and no decision should be made ahead of the ongoing political dialogue that will theoretically result in the formation of a unity government.
In any case, analysts believe that no individual or collective intervention against ISIS in Libya is to materialize any time soon as the Tripoli-based governing body, the General National Congress (GNC), sent a letter on Monday night to the Arab League threatening that any Arab League-backed intervention in Libya would mean the end of the political Dialogue.
