Haftar present his backing to Libya’s peace operation
After a gathering with the head of a new transitional presidential council, Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar has presented his support for a peace operation that aims to end a decade of disorder. He actually met with Mohammed Younes Menfi, a former diplomat who also comes from eastern Libya, and who was designated last week in an UN-backed operation to head the three-member presidency council.
A statement from the Haftar’s office said that he offered the support of the armed forces for the peace process, to defend democracy, and the peaceful transfer of power.
Indeed, the gathering occurred when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalin, declared that Turkish forces situated in Libya would remain there as long as a bilateral military deal between Ankara and Tripoli is active.
It should indicate that Libya has in recent years been divided between a Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, and an eastern-based administration, supported by Haftar.
On his part, Erdogan declared on Tuesday that Turkey would discuss the removing of its forces, which Ankara claims that they are providing military training to GNA, if other foreign powers are remote at first.
On Thursday, Menfi landed at Benina airport in the eastern Libyan port city Benghazi from Greece and went directly to meet Haftar at his headquarters at Rajma, certain 25 km outside the city.
Moreover, a new interim executive was selected on Feb. 5 by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Switzerland, which including 75 participants nominated by the UN to represent a wide cross-section of society.
According to Thursday’s statement, Haftar repeated a recent promise of support for the leaders of this new executive authority, who were selected so that they can reunite the institutions and lead the country to elections.
On Saturday, Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad Al-Mesmari had congratulated Menfi and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who was designated as interim prime minister, alongside the Libyan people, on the result of the selection process. The interim authority is delegated to lead Libya through to elections programmed for December.
