...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, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. 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...is conceivable but necessitates an international backing.
Salame told French newspaper Liberation that in recent weeks, the situation has become more realistic, revealing that Khalifa Haftar has put certain conditions for his forces' possible withdrawal from 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...
, but he needs guarantees on the forces who control the capital and has requirements for significant appointments in state positions.
"However,
a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all...
there are some parties on the others side who are willing to negotiate with Haftar on condition that he pulls out his forces, while others in Tripoli and other cities reject negotiations with him." Salame added on Monday.
Salame indicated that any political process in Libya is going to be based on ending the dispute of legitimacy once and for all via elections, adding that an elections law is necessary and so is a constitution and an understanding on oil revenue distribution.
He added that Libya now needs the international community to act properly amid the ongoing massive foreign interventions, saying the stance of world powers must be unified.
This comes after over five months of fighting that started in last April when Haftar's forces launched an attack on Tripoli in a quest for taking power from the Un-brokered government through military operations.