Unification of the military elements: Most important demand on Libyan table

Mustafa Kamel

The unification of the military elements under one banner has become an urgent need, as the Libyan Presidential Council called on all countries of the world to extend a helping hand and to remove foreign forces and mercenaries, in addition to many warnings of the need to be careful about the recent events that took place in its southern neighbor, Chad.

Give a hand

Vice President of the Presidential Council, Abdullah al-Lafi, tweeted that “the Foreign Ministry’s statements were clear and do not need explanations. There is no need for fabrication and distortion. They did not exclude anyone and all countries should help us get foreign forces and mercenaries out of Libya.”

The Libyan Foreign Ministry declared its respect for “valid” international agreements concluded between Libya and other countries.

According to a statement published by the Libyan Foreign Ministry in response to the statements attributed to Foreign Minister Najla al-Manqoush about her country’s request for Turkey to withdraw from Libya, the statement confirmed that what was reported about the minister’s intervention in some media outlets was correct, although it was not accurate, confirming that the ministry is working according to what is stipulated in the law and what stipulates respect for international agreements in force.

In the wake of the storm of controversy that followed the minister’s statements in Italy, and the strong reactions of those affiliated with the Brotherhood, observers saw that the media office’s statement was an attempt to “smooth out the atmosphere” with the Brotherhood, which the minister’s statements provoked the anger of its leaderships.

Importance of withdrawing mercenaries

On the other hand, UN Special Envoy and the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Jan Kubisch and French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed the importance of expediting the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the complete withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.

This came during the talks held by the UN envoy with Le Drian in Paris during his visit to France April 23-24, and the situation in Libya was the focus of discussions, especially in light of the recent developments in the region. The two sides stressed the need for further progress in the implementation of the road map, which was approved by the Political Dialogue Forum to hold the elections on December 24, as it is crucial to maintaining peace, security and stability in Libya and the wider region. They also discussed ways to mobilize more support from the international community for Libya.

Meanwhile, the United States considers that expelling mercenaries from Libya is the most prominent challenge for the new government in order to organize elections in December, stressing that the survival of mercenaries will not be in the interest of the country, but rather will destabilize and undermine security.

Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica McNulty said that pursuing the political path in Libya requires all parties to adhere to the ceasefire agreement and to withdraw all foreign military forces, foreign fighters and groups affiliated with foreign parties, and mercenaries, indicating that the United States continues to support the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum and deals seriously with the threat emerging from terrorist groups in Libya, including ISIS in Libya and Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb.

Standardization of military elements

At the same time, the United States warned of the repercussions of the events in Chad, calling for a speedy unification of the military elements in Libya to protect it from any developments in its southern neighbor.

This came during a phone call between US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland and the vice president of the Libyan Presidency Council, Musa al-Koni, in which they discussed the events in Chad and the elections to be held in Libya later this year.

The US embassy in Libya said on its Twitter account that Ambassador Norland spoke from London about the events in Chad, confirming the urgent need to unite all military elements in a single structure that can control the country’s borders and protect Libyan sovereignty.

The American official stressed the importance of the Presidency Council in Libya, expressing his appreciation for the Vice President’s assurance of adhering to holding the elections without delay on December 24.