France on Monday called on Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of eastern Libya, to “refrain from any resumption of hostilities” and to “focus” on finding a political solution.
“There is no military solution in Libya. The priority goes to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement of 23 October 2020, which provides for the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries, as well as the continuation of the political process under the authority of the United Nations “Said a deputy spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry.
“We call on all Libyan parties to support this process, to refrain from any resumption of hostilities and to focus on the appointment of a new executive and the organization of the electoral deadlines scheduled for December 24, 2021, as decided by the Libyan political forum, under the auspices of the United Nations, ”he added.
Turkey threatens to respond
Marshal Khalifa Haftar called on his forces to take up arms again to “drive out the Turkish occupiers” in a speech Thursday on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of Libya’s independence.
Turkey, which militarily supports the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNA), then warned that it would respond to any attack on its forces in Libya.
The country is torn between the GNA, based in Tripoli, and a power embodied by Khalifa Haftar, supported by the United Arab Emirates and Russia in particular.
France very involved in the conflict
France, very involved in recent years in the search for a political solution in Libya, is regularly suspected of supporting Marshal Haftar, which it denies.
After the Turkish military intervention in January and the failure of Marshal Haftar’s offensive on Tripoli, the cards were partly reshuffled in the Libyan conflict.
Inter-Libyan talks also concluded with an agreement on national elections in December 2021, but not on the heads of the executive supposed to accompany the transition.
