Turkey says forces loyal to Libya’s renegade General Khalifa Haftar need to pull out of the strategic city of Sirte for a lasting ceasefire, denouncing France for “jeopardizing” NATO’s security by supporting the strongman.
Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin made the remarks on Saturday, reiterating that Ankara fully supports Libya’s UN-backed government and that Sirte and al-Jufra should be cleared of the presence of Haftar’s forces for a “sustainable ceasefire.”
Since 2014, two rival seats of power have emerged in Libya, namely the internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), and another group under Haftar’s command and based in the eastern city of Tobruk, which is supported militarily by forces loyal to him and is collectively known as the Libyan National Army (LNA).
The strongman, supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan, launched a deadly offensive to capture Tripoli, the seat of the GNA, in April last year. His forces, however, failed to advance past the city’s outskirts. Early this month, they even lost those areas to the advancing GNA forces.
Turkey has been of significant help to the Tripoli-based government in its defense against the LNA by sending sophisticated drones and air defense systems, and also dispatching Ankara-backed militants from Syria there. The latter move has drawn criticism from some regional countries and international organizations, including the Arab League.
Multiple international attempts to bring about peace between the two warring sides in Libya have failed.
“This is the position of the GNA and we support it because right now the Haftar forces are using strategic locations as their launching pad against the legitimate government,” said Kalin on Saturday, adding that Haftar’s forces are also “using these places to use Libyan oil resources to finance their war.”
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