Aguila Salah : Removing Mercenaries from Libya Top Priority of “Berlin 2”
The speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives said that his country is counting on the “Berlin 2” conference, which will be held within days, to know the extent to which the international community is willing to help it.
In press statements, Aguila Salah added that the international community will pay special attention in “Berlin 2” to the issue of removing foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, as he does not see the “seriousness” of Libya’s authorities in expelling them, “which requires international pressure to end the foreign military presence” in the country.
Expulsion of mercenaries
He said that the national unity government is responsible for “removing mercenaries from Libya, achieving national reconciliation and organizing the presidential elections on time,” adding that these issues and what has been accomplished will be on the agenda in Berlin 2 to review what has been achieved in this regard.
Germany has announced a second round of the Berlin conference on Libya on June 23, with the participation of the countries that invited the first edition of the conference in 2020, as well as the Government of National Unity in Libya, which will attend the conference for the first time.
Quarrel box
The Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives stressed that his country “will not regain its national sovereignty and will not be able to organize the elections on time without the departure of those forces,” warning of the return of the situation to the square of fighting and fighting.
Regarding the obstacles that may threaten the holding of the presidential and parliamentary elections, Aguila Salah said that the most important challenges are not expelling foreign forces and mercenaries, in addition to the labyrinth of searching for a constitutional base, the attempt to deprive Libyans of their will to choose their president, the need to activate the military and security path of “5+5”, launching national reconciliation, and stopping the hate speech adopted by forces that are affiliated with political Islam.
Confiscation of rights
He said there are “desperate” attempts to deprive the Libyan people of their right to choose their president by procrastinating on a constitutional basis on which elections can be held on time. There are also attempts to obstruct the arrangements made by the High Electoral Commission to organize the presidential and parliamentary elections on time.
In this regard, the Speaker of the House of Representatives stressed that the election of the Libyan people, and directly of its President, is a “natural right stipulated by the democracy we seek as well as the Constitutional Declaration, “adding that any attempt to confiscate this right “is a crime against Libyans and against their will”.
The Only Solution
Salah believes that the December elections are the only solution to create a unified political and legislative leadership that will end the institutional division and lead to political and economic stability, warning that without timely presidential and parliamentary elections, the conflict in this country will not stop.
He said the UN mission’s military track in Libya encountered some “obstacles” in opening the coastal road and the failure to agree on a timetable to remove all foreign forces and mercenaries from the country.
Neighboring countries
As for the position of neighboring countries on the situation in his country, Aguila Salah said that neighboring and friendly countries and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya are “exerting efforts so far to achieve a political settlement and achieve stability in Libya,” expressing his hope that the keenness to end the crisis will be reflected in the outputs of the “Berlin 2” conference.
“Egypt plays a very important role in resolving the Libyan crisis with international and local parties to purge the African country of terrorism and chaos and the exit of foreign forces and mercenaries,” he said, praising “this historic role of President Sissi, the Egyptian government and its people”.
