...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, warned Monday of the continuing support for 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...saying he is not a democratic figure and that most Libyans see him as the new Qadaffy.
Salame told La Belle France Inter Radio that Haftar isn't Abraham Lincoln and isn't a great democracy supporter.
"Haftar has some power, he wants to unite Libya which fragmented after 2011. He doesn't want the power to be in the hands of gangs and that is positive. But how is he going to do that in areas outside his control. Even in areas under his control, he rules with an iron fist." Salame remarked.
He added that he has doubts about the way Haftar wants to rule Libya because "when see his way of ruling, nothing appears but a ruling with an iron fist.
"The UN Security Council is largely split regarding Libya and that was manifested in their failure to pass the UK-drafted resolution for a ceasefire. The temptation of the strongman idea is very widespread but the reality is that the strongman is not that strong, which is also a problem for his supporters." Salame added.
He indicated that no one can ignore Haftar but there shouldn't be adaptation of Haftar's political project as it doesn't suit a very large majority of Libyans.