The State of Qatar condemned the military escalation of the forces of retired Libyan Major General Khalifa Hafer, who launched a military offensive towards the capital of Tripoli, warning of its repercussions on the security and settlement efforts in Libya.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that it was following with great concern the military escalation in Libya, noting that it comes ahead of the Libyan National Congress to be held in the Libyan city of Ghadames, which threatens to undermine the path of the political solution sponsored by the United Nations.
The statement added that Qatar warns of a slide in the chaos and insecurity in western Libya, which will have serious repercussions on the political track, and the ability of institutions to protect citizens, and contain the problem of illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings in the region.
In this statement, the State of Qatar stated that this last point has a disastrous effect on the entire region, including its European surroundings. This is an additional consideration that calls for the implementation of these powers to stop attacks on western Libya, .
The Qatari foreign ministry called on the parties to the conflict in Libya to stand up to their historic responsibility to the Libyan people, who pin their hopes on the path of peaceful solution and to offer a national dialogue on military options.
In a telephone conversation with Al-Jazeera, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Lulwa Al-Khater said that the State of Qatar has confirmed its condemnation of the serious escalation by Hafar's forces, pointing out that it comes in the light of a kind of political breakthrough in the process of settlement and national dialogue in Libya under the umbrella of the United Nations.
Qatar views this military attack as undermining the path of a peaceful solution, and warns of a return to chaos in the Libyan west. The Qatari spokeswoman called on all parties to return to the path of a political solution and said that her country once again commended the role of UN special envoy to Libya Ghassan Salama.
Lulwa al-Khater said that Doha had received news of the escalation of the Haftar forces in western Libya, in a surprising way, adding that this indicates that some parties still prefer to raise some narrow agendas at the expense of the Libyan people.
She also said that the UAE's call in a joint statement with the United States, France, Britain and Italy to stop the escalation is surprising because it supports Hafar's forces and asks whether Abu Dhabi's position is a mere ashes in the eyes.