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Libya's PC denies negotiations with Haftar's forces
[Libya Observer] The front man for the Presidential Council's government Muhannad Younis denied Saturday any negotiations with Abdelrazik al-Nathori or any other figures from Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...'s forces. The front man reaffirmed that the Libyan Army forces under Presidential Council's command are continuing to foil the attack of Haftar's forces on Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... The statement denied news circulated on social media about negotiations between Libyan Army forces and Haftar's forces Chief of Staff al-Nathori about a ceasefire in Tripoli. In the meantime, the Head of Presidential Council Fayez al-Sarraj called for a UN Security Council fact-finding mission in Tripoli to document violations by Haftar's attacking forces, including supplying Haftar's forces with weapons. "Haftar's forces have killed civilians and displaced many others of them, using underaged boys in the war on Tripoli and using  s and artillery shelling on residential areas and Mitiga Airport, let alone targeting schools and field hospitals." al-Sarraj remarked, hailing the countries who called for the halt of the offensive on Tripoli.Al-Sarraj accused Haftar's forces of using foreign aircraft to strike Tripoli, based on Ahmed al-Mismari's statement on last Thursday, when he said "friend aircraft" had helped them in airstrikes. "This call is a test for the international community and its credibility as to whether or not it wishes to find the facts behind what's going on in Tripoli." al-Sarraj added. He said Libya will never sit idly by and wait for the conflicts in the world and the region to characterize its future, adding that his government will defeat the offensive against Tripoli. Posted by: Fred 2019-04-22 |
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