Turkey and Russia agreed on Wednesday to press for a ceasefire in war-torn Libya, but Ankara said the leader of the eastern forces was illegitimate and must withdraw from key positions for a credible truce to occur.
Moscow and Ankara are among the main corridors of power in the Libyan conflict, while supporting opposing parties. Russia supports the renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar’s eastern forces, while Turkey has helped the Tripoli-based National Accord (GNA) government repel Haftar’s attempt to storm the capital.
“We have just reached an agreement with Russia to work on a credible and sustainable ceasefire in Libya,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s top security adviser Ibrahim Kalin told the Reuters news agency.
Kalin said any deal must be based on a return to what he said were the Libyan front lines in 2015, requiring Haftar’s forces to withdraw from the strategic city of Sirte, the gateway to the oil fields in eastern Iraq. Libya, and al-Jufra, an air base near the center of the country.
“For the ceasefire to be sustainable, YouFra and Sirte should be evacuated by Haftar’s forces,” Kalin said.
Battle for Sirte
Turkey-backed forces allied with the UN-recognized government in the capital are mobilizing on the edges of Sirte and have promised to retake the Mediterranean city along with al-Jufra’s internal air base.
The United States said Moscow sent fighter jets to al-Youfra through Syria to support Russian mercenaries fighting alongside Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). Russia and the LNA deny it.
Egypt, which also supports the LNA, has threatened to send troops to neighboring Libya if the GNA and Turkish forces try to seize Sirte. The Egyptian parliament gave the green light on Sunday for possible military intervention.
Kalin said any Egyptian deployment to Libya would hamper efforts to end the fighting and would be risky for Cairo. “I think it will be a dangerous military adventure for Egypt.”
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said on Wednesday that achieving a political solution in Libya requires a “firm” response to “extremists” and foreign interference, which “not only threaten Egypt’s interests but also security. of the Mediterranean countries “.
He pointed to a peace proposal announced in Cairo last month with the aim of stabilizing Libya and eliminating armed fighters and militias in the oil-rich country.
The proposal announced by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi included a ceasefire and a new elected presidential body representing the three Libyan regions. The camp in eastern Libya accepted the proposal, dubbed the Cairo Declaration, while the Tripoli-based administration rejected it.
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Wednesday’s joint agreement between Turkey and Russia on their ceasefire efforts included a call for measures to allow humanitarian access to those in need and efforts to promote political dialogue between rival parties to Libya.
But Kalin said Haftar had violated previous truce agreements and that he was not a reliable partner, suggesting that other figures in the east should play a role.
“We do not drink [Haftar] as a legitimate actor anyway, “he said.” But there is another parliament in Tobruk. There are other players in Benghazi. Negotiations will have to take place between them. “
The LNA has dispatched fighters and weapons to bolster its defense of Sirte, already battered by the earlier phases of war and chaos since the 2011 revolution against former autocrat Muammar Gaddafi.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it supports a ceasefire and political talks that would culminate in united government authorities. Russia received high-level delegations from both sides of the Libyan conflict in Moscow and tried and failed to get Haftar to sign a ceasefire agreement.
‘All kinds of bullying’
Shukry’s comments came in separate phone calls with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, according to a statement from Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.
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Erdogan, meanwhile, chaired a high-level security meeting that focused on Libya on Wednesday.
A statement issued at the end of the National Security Council meeting said Turkey would not hesitate to take all necessary measures against “all kinds of harassment” taking place in Libya.
The council promised “to support the people of Libya against any tyranny.”
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other foreign powers have provided Haftar’s forces with critical military assistance.
Russia also sent hundreds of mercenaries through the Wagner Group, a private military company.
Libya was thrown into chaos when a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Gaddafi, who was later assassinated.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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