BERLIN, January 19. /TASS/. Russia has doubts that the leaders of Libya’s conflicting parties, Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj and Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar, will have a bilateral contact in Berlin, Russian president’s special envoy for the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Sunday.
"It depends on them. I don’t know," he told journalists when asked about a possibility of such a meeting.
He said he "has doubts they will speak to each other." "Well, the refused to speak with one another in Moscow and we acted as a go-between," he recalled. "It was, as they used to say, shuttle diplomacy."
According to the Russian diplomat, unlike Turkey, Russia spoke with both Haftar and Sarraj, as well as with the parliament speaker Aguila Saleh Issa and head of Libya’s High Council of State Khaled al-Mishri.
"We have contacts with all of them, while our Turkish partners spoke only with Sarraj and al-Mishri," he added.
Date for Haftar’s visit
No concrete date for a visit to Russia by Commander of the Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has been agreed, Mikhail Bogdanov said on Sunday.
"So far, we have no concrete agreements. But, generally, we are maintaining contact with him. He visited Moscow more than once and I think will come again.," he told journalists when asked whether his visit’s date had been agreed.
He found it difficult to say whether such a visit could take place before end of January. "Frankly speaking, I don’t know."
"Additional contacts with him [Haftar], and with the opposing party, will be needed," he noted. "So, I think such visit, contacts in Moscow will be organized.".
Consensus
Mikhail Bogdanov said that the issue of a possible deployment of the United Nations-led international forces to Libya, which Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord Fayez Sarraj insists on, can be discussed only on a consensus basis.
"I think this matter is to be discussed on a consensus basis," he said. "It depends not only on Sarraj. We are convinced that event the results of the Berlin conference will be discussed at the United Nations Security Council and only the Security Council has the authority to take decisions binding on all the parties."
Russia, in his words, believes that the Berlin conference’s final statement will be approved by the United Nations Security Council.
"It reads in the last, 55th, paragraph: ‘We shall bring the conclusions of this summit to the attention of the UN Security Council for consideration and call on SRSG [UN Special Envoy for Libya Ghassan] Salame and UNSMIL (UN special mission in Libya) to support the implementation of commitments made in the framework of the Berlin process,’" he noted. "It means that all the provisions of this declaration are to be considered by the UN Security Council and decisions will be passed depending on the discussion’s results".
Ceasefire in Libya
The ceasefire in Libya is being observed but there, despite sporadic violations, but there are provokers who are seeking to break it down, Mikhail Bogdanov said on Sunday.
"There are sporadic violations [of the ceasefire] because, regrettably, there are some unruly elements. That is why violations do happen, but there are very few of them," he said. "Our specialists, experts are keeping a close eye on the situation on the ground. We can state that the ceasefire is being observed, but for minor violations."
"There are provokers who are seeking to frustrate it. But I think serious Libyan leaders will have enough will and possibilities to observe the ceasefire, to establish political dialogue, which is to be inclusive, we all believe," he said.
A ceasefire between the Tripoli-based internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj and the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar took effect in Libya at midnight on January 12 within the framework of an initiative advanced by the Russian and Turkish presidents.