Sisi calls for lifting arms embargo on Libyan army

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has stressed the need to lift an international arms embargo on the Libyan army so that it is able to defend the Libyan people.
He was speaking to France's Europe 1 Radio after the Egyptian air force hit Daesh targets in Libya's Derna.
Egyptian jets bombed Daesh targets on Monday in response to a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptians.
There was no other choice, he told the French radio. "We will not allow them to cut off the heads of our children."
Sisi said that he has always been keen not to resort to military intervention inside Libya out of respect to its sovereignty and people, but what happened was a brutal terrorist crime against Egyptians in Libya.
He considered this self defense in line with international law and norms.
Asked if he would order Egypt's air force to strike again, he said: "We need to do it again, all of us together."
Sisi has called for a United Nations Security Council resolution allowing international forces to intervene in Libya.
"There is no other choice, taking into account the agreement of the Libyan people and government and that they call on us to act," he said in an interview aired on Tuesday.
Asked about a seven-day mourning that was declared in the country after the beheading of Egyptian Christians in Libya, Sisi stressed that what happened was a crime against humanity, not just Egyptians.
Sisi said he had warned his French counterpart Francois Hollande of the deteriorating conditions in Libya and that it could very well turn into a hotbed of terrorism in the whole region.
Egypt, Mediterranean countries and Europe should tackle this unsolved problem in Libya, Sisi said.
"We left the Libyan people to the extremist militias."
The president called on militias in Libya to hand over their arms if they want to be part of legitimate authority in Libya.
It is important that stability is restored to Libya and that militias are disarmed, Sisi said, also stressing the need to stop weapons from falling into the hands of extremists from other countries.
Sisi said he had warned of the situation in Syria and Iraq and the negative impact that it had on the whole region.
Now with Libya on the front burner, Sisi is concerned about a big threat not only to Libya's security and stability, but to its neighbors' own and Europe's as well.
Sisi said he is seeking a comprehensive cultural, educational, economic and political intervention to fight terrorism.
Asked about a proposition by the French president to convene a meeting of the European defense council and if Egypt would take part, Sisi said Egypt will be working with all friends to outline a true roadmap to restore security and stability to the region.