...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. Actually, he is, but slowly...met with the newly appointed UN Envoy and the Head of the UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily.
During the meeting which was held in Benghazi, Bathily affirmed his "determination to listen to all Libyan parties," and reiterated the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
’ "support for a sustainable Libyan-owned solution to restore peace and stability to the country."
He also stressed the importance of "preserving the ceasefire agreement, and unifying the security and military institutions in Libya."
In a thread on its Twitter account, UNSMIL said that Bathily "met with a group of women in Benghazi, including academics, lawyers and activists. As part of his ongoing efforts to collect ideas from a variety of Libyan stakeholders about the best path to peace and stability. "
"I want to hear the roadmap you have, not only on women’s issues, but on every aspect of the crisis. I want to help Libyans design their own solution to put an end to this," he added.
Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that Bathily’s "highest priority is to support defining a consensual path towards fair and comprehensive elections, as soon as possible."