Stubborn GNA rejects Arab recommendations, protects Erdogan

Hossam al-Haddad

Arab foreign ministers took part in a meeting on Tuesday, 23 June, urgently called for by Egypt, and they stressed their commitment to a political solution, ceasefire and end of all hostile military actions between Libyan parties, the removal of foreign fighters from Libya and the cessation of arms flowing to it from abroad, the return to the 5+5 negotiations, dismantling militias and handing their weapons over to the state, and holding those who committed human rights violations accountable.

The Arab League also supports the efforts of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and its endeavors to reach a solution in light of the three tracks emanating from the Berlin Summit and the work of the International Quartet in Libya, and it welcomed initiative called for in the recent Cairo Declaration.

These recommendations were accepted in eastern Libya, where the parliament, interim government and Libyan National Army (LNA) are located, but they were rejected in the west by the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the High Council of State.

The GNA and High Council of State in Tripoli continued their strict stance of rejection regarding the items called for by the Arab foreign ministers, which had been attacked even before the emergency session began.

Immediately after publication of the final statement and recommendations from the Arab foreign ministers, the GNA Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that its delegate in the Arab League, along with three Arab countries, had reservations about parts of the resolution concerning welcoming the Cairo Declaration to resolve the Libyan crisis.

The ministry explained that the GNA “did not participate at the ministerial level in the emergency meeting of the League of Arab States regarding the situation in Libya, because it was centered on welcoming the Cairo Declaration.”

It noted that “Libya, Tunisia and Somalia have reservations about part of the seventh paragraph, which does not distinguish between forces from a friendly state based on an invitation and written agreement between two legitimate governments and between other forces that transgress the sovereignty of the Libyan state and are present in Libya illegally,” confirming that Fayez al-Sarraj and the GNA are protecting Erdogan’s interests in Africa.

On the other hand, the political and military leadership in eastern Libya welcomed the Arab League meeting. MP Saeed Amogheb said that “the statement of the Arab foreign ministers sent a lot of hope in the hearts of the Libyans, as it is a correct step towards resolving the crisis.” He added that the statement “is a strong indication of a united Arab vision, and all the provisions of the statement are legitimate demands of the Libyan people.”

He pointed out that the most important of these items are “the expulsion of foreign mercenaries, the ceasefire, the importance of dismantling the militias and disarming them, and returning to dialogue, which are required to end the crisis.”

The Sarraj government not only rejected the Arab League’s recommendations, but rather responded with a surprising military move towards Sirte after days of calm, as an armed convoy of the GNA’s Burkan al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) forces attempted to surprise LNA forces in western Sirte.

Major General Khaled al-Mahjoub, head of the LNA’s mobilization department, told Independent Arabia that a military force affiliated with GNA forces attempted to penetrate Sirte from the area of Bouirat Al-Hassoun, located 60 kilometers west of the city, but the LNA responded with artillery shelling and airstrikes, forcing the terrorist militias to retreat.

Mahjoub said, “Our forces still honor their pledges to maintain their agreed positions, pending the issuance of new orders,” stressing that “the region from Sirte to Misrata is under surveillance by army planes and military reconnaissance teams.”

In response to these military moves, Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh said that “the Libyan parliament will ask for Egyptian military intervention if the forces of the Government of National Accord insist on crossing the red line that [Egyptian] President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has set in Sirte and Jufra.”

Saleh added in press statements, “If this happens, the Egyptian intervention will become legal to defend Cairo’s security and interests, and at the invitation and formal approval of the Libyan parliament, the only body currently elected by the people in the country.”

In a related context, tensions continue to escalate between Turkey and France over the Libyan crisis, with each exchanging accusations over responsibility for the complexity of the crisis by interfering politically and militarily.

French officials criticized Turkey’s growing interference in Libya to support the GNA with weapons and fighters in a way that threatens the security and interests of Europe. Ankara responded with an official statement from its foreign ministry, accusing Paris of being responsible for spreading chaos in Libya, adding that “Paris is the one playing a dangerous game in Libya.”

Turkey also accused France of “remaining silent in the face of Egypt’s threats to intervene militarily,” saying it was “escalating tensions in the eastern Mediterranean rather than working to achieve security and stability.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, June 24, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio arrived in Tripoli to meet with officials there.

Italian media said that Di Maio would hold talks with Sarraj and GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, as well as Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala.

The Italian foreign minister recently clarified the points that his country is focusing on concerning the Libyan crisis, saying, “When I started working on Libya, the goals were and still are three: to ensure our geostrategic interests, to ensure Libya’s unity, and to ensure that the conflict ends.”

According to Libyan media figure Hossam al-Din al-Ta’ib, the recent developments since the announcement of the Cairo Declaration and the GNA’s reactions to it clearly show that a political solution in Libya is difficult and that consensus may not be achieved.”

He added in a press statement that he believes the solution must be security-based, not political, because Sarraj’s decision is not in his hands at all and he cannot achieve demands such as disbanding the militias and removing mercenaries from Libya, while such security arrangements must precede talks of any real political solution in the country.