Sisi urges world action over arms

Sisi gives a joint press conference with Tsipras in Athens yesterday.

AFPAthensEgyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday called for world action to halt the flow of weapons and fighters into and out of war-torn Libya, Egypt’s neighbour to the west. “Not confronting the situation in Libya will lead to new dangers in the region,” he warned after talks in Athens with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.  Egypt had made “enormous efforts” to secure its border with Libya but needed “Europe and other countries interested in stability in the region” to come to the table, he said. “An international mobilisation is necessary to stop the trafficking of weapons and secure (Libya’s) ground and sea borders,” said Sisi, Egypt’s former army chief. Tsipras promised to back Sisi’s call for help among fellow European Union members. “We must all co-operate and be more effective against this rising fascism of extremist fundamentalism,” the leftist Greek premier said. “Imagine what would happen if Egypt were unstable,” he said, hailing Sisi’s restoration of stability since the 2013 overthrow of his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Mursi. Thousands of supporters of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood have been jailed and hundreds have been sentenced to death, although many have won retrials. Sisi’s visit to Greece is focused on co-operation in the energy and maritime transport sectors.