After the failure of talks about a ceasefire in the civil war country, the Turkish president threatens the rebel chief Haftar. Germany still holds a peace conference in Berlin.
Istanbul. A few days before the planned Berlin peace conference for Libya on Sunday, tensions in the North African country escalate. Conflicts between NATO country Turkey and rebel general Khalifa Haftar threaten after the failure of talks about an armistice.
The general left for negotiations in Moscow on Tuesday without signing a ceasefire agreement with his rival Fajis al-Sarradj. The main reason, according to media, was Haftar’s opposition to a role for Turkey, Sarradj’s main partner. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then threatened Haftar that Turkey would give him a “deserved lesson” if he continued to attack Sarradj’s government. Haftar is a “coupist” who “soaks Libya” and shows his “hatred” of Turkey. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoglu said that if the general went on like this, the Berlin conference would make no sense.
The German chancellor Angela Merkel still sticks to the conference. She wants to bring Erdogan, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and other top politicians from Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as Haftar and Sarradj around a table. It is not clear whether Haftar and Sarradj accept the invitation. Berlin wants to stabilize Libya and get a better grip on the refugee crisis.
EU military mission for Libya?
The fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi had brought Libya to chaos in 2011. The country is now divided between two rival governments. The lack of central power gave people smugglers the opportunity to settle on the coast and start a trafficking business with refugees from Africa who want to go to Europe.
According to Italian media, a military mission for Libya will also be discussed during the Berlin conference, in which Spain, Germany, Italy and France are to take part. The mission is to take place under the UN flag. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe said Tuesday that Italy was ready to send more soldiers to the civil war; however only “with a clear mandate and in a secure context”.
Sarradj’s unitary government in Tripoli is recognized by the UN as a legitimate leadership, but controls only a few parts of the country and does not have its own army. Instead, Sarradj relies on various militias. His opponent Haftar represents the counter-government in the east. In April 2019, he launched a major offensive to take Tripoli. Sarradj can rely on Turkey and the Emirate of Qatar. Erdogan had announced the dispatch of Turkish troops to Libya after the New Year; Syrian rebels, paid for and trained by Turkey, are apparently also fighting on Sarradjs’ side.
Refugee issue as a lever
Haftar relies on aid from Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are rivals for Turkey and Qatar. Russian mercenaries and Sudanese fighters have given Haftar a military advantage. France also supports Haftar. Ex-colonial power Italy is arguing with Paris over influence in Libya.
Erdogan and Putin want to expand their role in the Middle East and their influence on the EU: If they manage to become regulatory powers in Libya, they could use the refugee issue as a lever on other issues. The failure of the Moscow talks showed how difficult this is for both. Turkey also wants to strengthen its position in the dispute with neighbors over natural gas deposits.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, January 15, 2020)
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