Over a year into the war in Tripoli, Egypt proposed June 6 a political initiative to resolve the Libyan crisis. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated during a joint conference with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Speaker of the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament Aqila Saleh that “the initiative will be the beginning of a new stage toward a return to a normal, safe life in Libya,” warning against insisting on the military option to resolve the crisis.

The initiative includes a cease-fire that went into effect June 8, returning to negotiations and compelling all foreign parties to remove mercenaries and the LNA to shoulder its responsibilities in combating terrorism.

It also suggested a proposal to reconstitute the Presidential Council, which was formed in 2015, and urged each of the eastern region, the western region and the southern region to form an electoral system; each region to choose a representative for the Presidential Council; and each region to obtain a proportional number of ministerial portfolios according to their population.

The initiative set a transitional period of 18 months, which can be extended with a maximum of six months, during which all Libyan state institutions, especially the main economic institutions, will be reorganized.