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LIBYA-CONFLICT-TURKEY-DIPLOMACY,LEAD
‘Too early’ to say Libya ceasefire collapsed: Turkey
ANKARA, Jan 15, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Turkey said Wednesday it was still
confident the ceasefire in Libya would hold despite strongman Khalifa
Haftar’s refusal to sign a permanent truce.
Haftar walked away from talks in Moscow aimed at finalising a ceasefire
orchestrated by Russia and Turkey, which came into force Sunday.
The joint Turkish and Russian initiative is the latest international
effort to broker end to fighting between Haftar’s forces based in the east of
the country and the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.
“It is still too early to say that the ceasefire has fallen apart,”
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said during a briefing in Ankara.
“The work related to this continues.”
With an international conference on the Libyan conflict due in Berlin on
Sunday, Akar said Turkey supported “a ceasefire, peace, a political
solution.”
Germany has invited both sides of the conflict to talks with 11 countries
and several international organisations.
Turkey supports the UN-recognised Government of National Accord based in
Tripoli, which has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since April.
Turkey has deployed soldiers to Libya but Ankara insists they are
providing training and advice, and will not be taking part in active combat.
Akar did not say how many Turkish soldiers were in Libya but said the
numbers changed according to Tripoli’s needs.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later Wednesday said Haftar
“doesn’t want peace” despite international efforts.
Speaking at a think tank event in Ankara, the minister told the audience:
“He wants a military solution rather than a political process.”
BSS/AFP/RY/1945 hrs