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Turkey’s Erdogan paves the way for troop deployment in Libya
ISTANBUL, Dec 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Thursday opened the way for direct Turkish military intervention in Libya,
announcing a parliamentary vote in early January on sending troops to support
the UN-backed Tripoli government against strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Sending Turkish troops will complicate the situation in an already fragile
country torn by internal dissent since the ouster and killing of dictator
Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
“We will present the motion to send troops (to Libya) as soon as
parliament resumes” on January 7, Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.
“God willing, we will pass it in parliament on January 8-9 and thus
respond to an invitation” from the Tripoli-based Government of National
Accord (GNA), he said.
Erdogan’s comments come after the Turkish parliament on Saturday ratified
a security and military cooperation deal with the GNA of Fayez al-Sarraj.
That agreement, which came into force on Thursday, allows Ankara to send
military and security personnel to Libya for training purposes, according to
Turkish officials.
But a separate motion is needed to send boots on the ground. The Turkish
parliament in October passed another motion to deploy troops in Iraq and
Syria for another year.
“We have given and will give all forms of support to the Tripoli
government which is fighting against a putschist general backed by Arab
countries and Europeans,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader has in recent weeks vowed to increase military support
to the GNA if needed as it battles Haftar, who launched an offensive in April
to seize the capital.
Erdogan on Wednesday paid an unannounced visit to Tunisia with his defence
minister and spy chief to discuss ways of reaching a ceasefire in Libya.
Ankara has also signed a separate maritime jurisdiction agreement with the
GNA — which has drawn international criticism especially from Greece, as
part of its efforts to establish itself as a key player in the exploitation
of hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean.
– ‘Helping a warlord’-
Pro-GNA militias and Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army are vying
for control of the North African country.
Turkey and Qatar back the GNA, while Haftar has received support from
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia — all of whom have tense
relations with Turkey.
Erdogan has said Haftar’s forces are backed by Russian security company
Wagner but Moscow has denied this.
“They are helping a warlord. We are responding to an invitation from the
legitimate government of Libya,” Erdogan said Thursday. “That is our
difference.”
Asked about Ankara’s plans to send troops to Libya, Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov said it was “unlikely that the interference of third parties in
this situation could contribute to a settlement.”
He added: “But any attempt by third countries to contribute directly to
solving the problem and to help the parties to the conflict find a solution
is always welcome.”
Ankara is likely to send an elite joint contingent to Libya, Can
Kasapoglu, director of security and defence research programme at the EDAM
think-tank in Istanbul, wrote in a policy paper this week.
The initial group could include special forces along with military
intelligence and liaison officers, he commented.
“Since 2016, the Turkish Armed Forces have gained a considerable level of
experience in such efforts thanks to the Syrian campaigns.”
The Turkish military has launched three incursions into Syria as part of a
campaign against Syrian Kurdish forces.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1920HRS