Libyan rebel leader fails to sign truce in Moscow

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar left Moscow yesterday without signing a permanent truce aimed at ending nine months of fighting, though Russia claimed he agreed to maintain the fragile ceasefire.

The commander’s abrupt departure early yesterday was a setback for an international diplomatic push in recent days, though Moscow insisted it would continue mediation efforts. Russia’s defence ministry, which attended Monday’s talks, said Haftar had asked for two days to consider the deal and a shaky ceasefire established at the weekend would continue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who first brokered the Libya truce deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week warned he would “teach a lesson” to Haftar if his forces resumed fighting. Haftar and his allies were in Moscow on Monday for talks with the United Nations-recognised government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj that is based in Tripoli. Sarraj’s government has been under attack since April from forces loyal to Haftar, who is based in the east of the oil-rich North African country with his own loyalist politicians.

Meanwhile, the international Parliament for Tolerance and Peace (IPTP) has condemned the intervention of the Turkish armed forces in the troubled country of Libya, describing it as “a very dangerous turning point for the worse” in the North African nation.

Making its position known from its seat in Malta, IPTP said, “as advocates of tolerance and peace, we reject and denounce the military intervention of a foreign state in another sovereign state in a way that we are witnessing today in Libya”.

It observed that Libya, being an active member of the Arab League, was subject to the League’s rules that regulate seeking military support from friends and allies to avert dangers, terrorism, and similar security issues. “The Arab League resolution from 31st December 2019 stressed ‘the necessity to prevent interference that could contribute to facilitating the arrival of foreign extremists in Libya’ and also expressed ‘serious concern over the military escalation further aggravating the situation in Libya, which threatens the security and stability of neighboring countries and the entire region”, the Parliament stated.