Turkey: Libya’s Haftar wants military solution

Mevlut Cavusoglu

16 Jan 2019; MEMO: Renegade Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar is seeking a military solution to the lingering conflict in the country, Turkey’s foreign minister said Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

“This is true that Haftar does not want peace. He seeks a military solution, not a political process,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a panel in the capital Ankara.

Despite that Turkey is not pessimistic about the Libya issue, he added.

On Jan. 12, the warring sides of the Libyan conflict announced a cease-fire in response to the call of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.