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Libya’s Haftar eyes military solution to Libyan conflict, says Turkish minister

Haftar's failing to sign the ceasefire deal is indicative of his intentions, the Turkish top diplomat believes

Commander of the Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar EPA-EFE/YANNIS KOLESIDIS

Commander of the Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar

© EPA-EFE/YANNIS KOLESIDIS

ANKARA, January 21. /TASS/. The position of Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar indicates that he is backing a military solution to the Libyan conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told NTV on Tuesday.

"In spite of all our effort, Haftar did not sign ceasefire [agreement] in Moscow. The fact that Haftar did not express any support [at the international conference on Libya] in Berlin also raised everyone’s eyebrows. Currently, his position points out that he is looking for a military solution. Haftar should reach political settlement. All our efforts as Turkey are aimed at that," he stressed.

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Libya’s GNA accuses LNA forces of violating ceasefire after Berlin conference

The international high-level conference on Libya took place on January 19 in the German capital, with at least ten heads of state and government attending the event including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also present at the talks were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as representatives of Algeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and China. Moreover, Berlin also welcomed Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Sarraj, and Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar.

The conference’s final communique includes a call to ceasefire and commitment to refrain from intervening into Libya’s affairs, while it proposes creating a single government and launching reforms to restore statehood that was demolished by NATO almost ten years ago. The parties to the conflict also agreed to establish a special commission overseeing the ceasefire.

Currently, Libya has two parallel bodies of executive power: the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by al-Sarraj, and Abdullah Abdurrahman al-Thani’s interim government, operating in the country’s east together with parliament and supported by Haftar’s LNA.

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