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December 20, 2019Black clouds gather over Libya, in a crescendo of alliances, threats and ultimatums that do not bode well. The ultimatum of the self-proclaimed Libyan national army responds to Serraj's request to intervene in the Turkish army, but also in four other countries including Italy. A request that sends Putin's Russia into a rage, but also brings Chechen leader Kadyrov into the field, ready to field his experience. Meanwhile, Italy has announced that it is willing to follow only diplomatic and political and non-military paths, but Cyprus and Egypt organize themselves to respond to a possible Turkish military presence in the area. In short, the TNT cocktail is served.Di Maio: "A special envoy to encourage dialogue"
"We are committed to finding a timely solution to the Libyan crisis: in the next few days Italy will appoint a special envoy for Libya who will answer to the Foreign Ministry and will take care of promoting dialogue with the various Libyan parties". "He will be an agile person, able to talk to all the parties involved, both internal and external", confirmed his deputy, Emanuela Del Re. "It is essential to avoid the bloodbath that is likely to occur with the use of weapons, "he added. Meanwhile, the Italian government is playing all the diplomacy papers. "I heard the Turkish Foreign Minister and the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia - Di Maio explained - and I will hear the European ministers. This is because we must promote a European mission in Libya. We are committed to succeeding in obtaining a ceasefire or , at the very least, a truce between the parties because this crisis could lead to a further humanitarian crisis, and I believe that in the coming days Italy will also be essential to promote the maximum
dialogue between Russia and Turkey ".
Ultimatum
The Misrata forces have "72 hours" to withdraw from Tripoli and Sirte. The ultimatum was launched by Ahmed Al-Mismari, the spokesperson for the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar, according to Arab satellite media. Al-Mismari threatened to continue bombing the Misurata militias if they did not arrive at the withdrawal, stressing that last night the LNA forces targeted a weapons depot sent from Turkey. The operations were conducted "in response to the government's announcement of a national agreement for a logistical and technical support request to Turkey", said al-Mismari on his Facebook page, underlining how Fayez's request for help to Turkey al-Serraj represents "an unnecessary rescue attempt". "The operation has caused the weakening of the enemy's capacities in various military sites in Misrata. Our fighters have returned to their safe bases - added al-Mismari - War is an option we have been forced to choose to free Libya from terrorist militias taking orders from Turkey and Qatar ".
Serraj's appeal
The Prime Minister of the Libyan national agreement, Fayez al Serraj, has asked Italy, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, Algeria and Turkey to "activate the security cooperation agreements" to "reject the attack in Tripoli, conducted by any armed group ". The press office of the Libyan government recognized by the UN reports in a post on facebook. Serraj also asked the five countries to "cooperate with the government of national agreement in the fight against terrorist organizations", illegal immigration and traffickers in human beings.
UN: "Foreign interference, political solution is needed
The United Nations Mission in Libya (Unsmil) denounces the "recent developments" in the African country, "the military escalation, the growing foreign interference in Libya and the exchange of accusations of treason among the Libyan parties, which put at risk the unity of Libya ". In a statement released in the last hours on Twitter and Facebook, the Mission insists on a "political solution" considered "the only solution to the crisis" that has been dragging on the country since 2011, since the end of the era of Muammar Gaddafi. "Unsmil continues with the incessant commitment to arrive at a united international position on the Libyan crisis", concludes the note urging "the Libyans to return to dialogue, protect the lives of the innocent, put an end to the fighting between the brothers, put a halt to foreign interference and to avoid further catastrophes for civilians ".
Russia worried about sending Turkish soldiers
Russia said it was very concerned about the potential sending of Turkish soldiers to Libya, as foreseen by the security memorandum signed by the Ankara authorities and by the government of Libyan premier Fayez al-Serraj. This was reported by the Interfax news agency quoting a source from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Yesterday, the Tripoli government announced that it had ratified the agreement on military and security cooperation with Turkey, thus accepting the Turkish offer to send its own troops to counter the offensive launched by General Khalifa Haftar to take control of the capital.
Egypt - Cyprus agreement against agreement with Turkey
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades had a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss how to counter the agreements reached between Turkey and Libya in the military and security sphere. According to the statement released by the Cypriot government spokesman Kyriakos Koushos, during the talks al-Sisi said that the memorandum of understanding between Ankara and the government of Tripoli has no legal effect. Anastasiades and al-Sisi have agreed that "all appropriate measures must be taken to put an end to the implementation of the clauses of the illegal agreement". Al-Sisi then told Anastasiades that a possible military presence of Turkey in Libya will cause a destabilization of the region. The Koushos note also explains that the ministers of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus have decided to coordinate on the initiatives to be taken to counter the Turkish plans. Yesterday, the government of national agreement of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said he was willing to accept military aid from Turkey to counter the advance on Tripoli of Khalifa Haftar's forces under the agreement signed on November 27 last.
From the Chechen leader offered the military experience in Serraj
The Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, discussed with the Prime Minister of the Libyan national agreement, Fayez al Serraj, "the possibility of transferring experiences in the solution of conflicts and in the fight against terrorism". This was announced by Lev Dengov, head of the Russian contact group for the solution of the Libyan conflict. Dengov also stated that Serraj "declared his desire to visit Chechnya, the republic of the Russian Federation in the northern Caucasus, with a Muslim majority.
Erdogan: "Against whom supports Haftar, including Italy"
"Haftar has no legitimacy, the legitimate Libyan president is Serraj, leader of Libya. Unfortunately we are witnessing the attempt by Egypt, Abu Dhabi, France and even Italy to legitimize Haftar". This was stated by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a summit in Kuala Lumpur, attended by leaders from some countries of the Islamic world. The Turkish president supports the government of Fayez al Serraj against the advance of troops loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.
EU: "Everyone respects export arms embargo"
The solution to the crisis in Libya "must be found at the negotiating table". The embargo on the export of arms to the North African country "must be respected by all the states that are part of the United Nations" and the European Union, given that "there is no military solution to the situation in Libya", urges everyone to "avoid any action that could lead to an escalation of military operations". The spokesperson of the EU, the EU diplomatic service, Peter Stano, said during the press briefing in Brussels, about the role Turkey is playing in Libya, in support of the Fayez al Serraj government.