Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) sent a message to Washington on Sunday calling for international control of land and sea border crossings and ports to prevent weapons from being sent to the capital’s government, Al Arabiya TV channel reported.
“The LNA insists on international control over land and sea terminals in order to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the Government of National Accord [Prime Minister Faiz Saraj] and to prevent Ankara from transferring weapons and equipment to the country,” the letter said to the US authorities.
It also notes that the army command refuses to sit at the same table with Turkey during any possible negotiations in the coming period and “remains committed to the withdrawal of mercenaries and militias.” In addition, the LNA notified that it would not agree with the entry of various types of armed groups into state institutions, as planned by the Tripoli Cabinet of Ministers.
On Saturday, Haftar, during a scheduled review of the units under his control, confirmed “his determination to resist the Turkish intervention.” “The Turks stayed in Libya for 300 years, and the Libyans saw nothing but evil,” Al Arabiya quotes him on Sunday.
“The expulsion of the colonialists is our main goal. We will not agree to be colonized again <…> Enough of what has happened to us in the past. The army will teach a lesson to the mercenaries that Turkey sends to fight on the side of the Government of National Accord [GNA]. “
In Libya, for a long time, two executive bodies have existed in parallel: the NTC sitting in Tripoli and a temporary cabinet operating in the east of the country together with the parliament and supported by the LNA.
Over a year ago, the opposing camps unleashed battles for the country’s main city, after Haftar launched an offensive on the capital on April 4, 2019, with the goal of, as he said, freeing it from terrorists.
In response, the Tripoli cabinet of ministers officially turned to Turkey for help on the basis of a memorandum on military cooperation signed with it in November last year. With the active support of Ankara, the GNA managed to regain control over a number of territories seized earlier by the LNA. So far, all attempts to return the parties to dialogue, and the search for political solutions have not been crowned with success.
Libyan civil war
Having ruled the country since 1969, Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in the 2011 civil war. As a result, the country found itself in a situation of dual power: in the east, a parliament is sitting in Tobruk, supported by the Libyan national army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and in the west, in Tripoli, a government of national accord.
In Libya, armed clashes are currently taking place between supporters of different leaders. The country is led by the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Saraj, the “eastern government” led by Abdullah Abdurrahman at-Thani.
The eastern government is supported by the commander of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar.
Recall that January 13 in Moscow, negotiations were held between the heads of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) Faiz Sarraj. Also present were members of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Turkey.
On the meeting, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has notified Russia about the conditions for continuing negotiations on the signing of a peace agreement in Libya.
According to the requirements of Haftar, the militias operating in Libya are required to surrender weapons in the period from 45 to 90 days. This process should be controlled by a special commission created by the LNA together with the UN.
Haftar also refused to recognize Turkey as an intermediary in resolving the situation in Libya, since the Turkish side is not neutral and supports the Government of National Accord (GNA).
At the same time, the GNA is actively supporting Turkey, and Egypt and Saudi Arabia are on the side of the LNA. Its unofficial allies are France and the UAE.
