Brussels, 16/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 16 February, the EU expressed its “solidarity” with the people and government of Egypt after the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya the previous day. “This act of terror is also a stark reminder of the plight of civilians in Libya - whether they are Libyans or migrants and whatever their faith”, said High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in a press release.
Mogherini will meet Eygpt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, in Washington this week and will convey her condolences to him personally. “We will also discuss the challenges ahead together with other leaders of the region and US Secretary of State John Kerry”, Mogherini added.
A little earlier in the day, 15 members of the United Nations Security Council also condemned the beheading of the 21 Coptic Christians in Libya - an act which has been claimed by Islamic State (IS). In a unanimous statement, the Security Council said that it strongly condemned this cowardly and heinous act, which once again shows the brutality of IS. The UN Security Council members reaffirm that IS must be defeated and that intolerance, violence and hatred must be eradicated, the statement says. The members added that such “acts of barbarism” carried out by IS will not intimidate them but will strengthen their determination to fight jihadists. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticised the “barbaric act” and stated that dialogue is the best way of helping Libya overcome the current crisis.
On Sunday 15 February, IS published a video on the internet showing the beheading of the 21 Coptic Christians who were kidnapped in Libya. That evening, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on television that Cairo would avenge these murders. On Monday, Egypt conducted air strikes against IS positions.
While the head of the Italian government, Matteo Renzi, has currently ruled out all military intervention, Italy's minister for defence has said that Italy is ready to mobilise up to 5,000 soldiers to take action in Libya. Italy regularly faces flows of illegal immigrants from the Libyan coast, which is situated just 200 miles from Italy's shores. (Lionel Changeur)