The Libyan army rejected a proposal to keep the Turkish forces in Libya – Libyan politician
Cairo – North-Press Agency
Muhammad Abu Zaid
A Libyan politician said that the Libyan armed forces have rejected a proposal included in the draft truce agreement regarding remaining the forces and members that Turkey sent to Libya.
Dr. Muhammad al-Asmar, the head of the Libyan Nation Center for Strategic and Political Studies, stressed in a statement to North-Press that one of the most prominent points that the Libyan armed forces have rejected in the draft agreement is a clause stipulating, that Turkey should stop sending its affiliated armed groups into Libya while the Libyan forces stipulated that just stopping sending forces is not enough, and demanded the withdrawal of the Turkish-backed armed groups that have arrived earlier.
Al-Asmar stressed in the same context that “what was proposed and what the Libyan Arab Armed Forces accepted, as well as al-Wefaq government is a draft truce for a ceasefire that had to meet with the sponsoring parties, in order to stabilize it and put mechanisms for it, but the clauses that were proposed in the draft received remarks and requested amendments by the House of Representatives and the Armed Forces represented by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.”
Contrary to the remarks on the members sent by Turkey, one of the most important remarks that al-Wefaq government led by Fayez al-Sarraj did not, accept according to al-Asmar, “was to establish a time frame for the withdrawal of militias and handing over their weapons, while the Libyan armed forces stipulated the necessity of their presence initially on the current lines of contact and not withdraw from what they were at before April 4, which is a fundamental right for them, given that it is a truce and not an end to a clash or reconciliation or an end to the fighting carried out in the city of Tripoli.”
He added: "Now and as it is the case, things will return to the point as they were before accepting the truce, especially after a breach by the militias in the axes of Salah al-Din, al-Hadaba al-Khadraa and Ein Zara, as the armed forces shot down a Turkish drone sent by the militias on the axis of Wadi al-Rabie on the first day of the truce, on January 12."
"The whole operation is continuing, and the Libyan Arab Armed Forces will carry out their mission to defend the entire Libyan territories, including Tripoli and its surrounding areas, as well as to resist the Turkish presence," al-Asmar said.
The Libyans are holding their breath in anticipation of Berlin conference to be held in Germany under the auspices of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to discuss the stabilization of the truce and the introduction of a political solution to the Libyan crisis based on relevant international decisions to implement political entitlements in Libya, starting from a transitional phase and drafting of a new constitution and preparing for parliamentary and presidential elections under the auspices of the United Nations. In parallel with contacts by actors, especially the United States, Russia, France, Italy and Germany, in addition the Arab Republic of Egypt to coordinate in this context.