Article

2019-09-27 Africa North

Libyan Strongman Haftar Says Open to Dialogue

[AnNahar] Libyan strongman 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, 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...
, whose forces have been battling to capture the seat of the UN-recognised government in 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...
since April, has said he is open to dialogue after repeatedly rejecting UN calls for talks.

"When all is said and done, we need dialogue and we need to sit down" at the negotiating table, Haftar said in a statement issued on Wednesday night on the eve of a special session on Libya on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Haftar stressed however that dialogue was "not possible so long as terrorist groups and criminal militias control Tripoli," a reference to the myriad of militias that back the Government of National Accord.

Haftar welcomed the special session to be co-chaired by La Belle France and Italia in New York later Thursday, saying that he hoped it would come up with "proposals that serve Libya's interests and at the same time restore security and stability."

Earlier this month, Haftar, whose forces control eastern Libya and most of the far-flung oases and oilfields of the desert south, rejected a UN call for renewed peace talks, saying that a military solution was the best way of bringing the conflict to an end.

Posted by trailing wife 2019-09-27 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11136 views ] Top
File under: Arab Spring

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