By RFIPosted on 03-01-2020Modified on 03-01-2020 at 23:56

In Libya, there is now a fear of Turkish intervention in the conflict between the government of Fayez al-Sarraj and the strongman of eastern Libya, Marshal Haftar. The Turkish parliament on Thursday authorized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to send the army to Libya to support the government in Tripoli. This Friday, the French president directly called his Turkish counterpart.

" There is no military solution to the Libyan crisis ", insisted Emmanuel Macron during his interview with Recep Tayyep Erdogan. And, like US President Donald Trump a few hours earlier, he stressed the need to avoid a " risk of escalation " linked to military " foreign interference ", he said.

► Read also: Green light from the Turkish Parliament for a military intervention in Libya

Because Libya is already the scene of a power struggle between on the one hand Turkey and Qatar which support the government of Tripoli, and on the other Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt which support the forces of Marshal Haftar. Forces alongside which Russian mercenaries would also fight, says the UN special envoy to Libya - as well as Turkey - despite Moscow's denials.

Emmanuel Macron also called this Friday Vladimir Putin who is going to Turkey next week. The two men spoke out " for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, " says the Kremlin.

Emmanuel Macron insisted on the Berlin Conference scheduled for the beginning of this month, which according to the French President should allow "to consolidate the international consensus " for a way out of the crisis thanks to a return to the political process, under the aegis of the 'UN.

The UN says that since Marshal Haftar's offensive began last April, 146,000 Libyans have been displaced and more than 280 civilians and 2,000 combatants have been killed.

► Read also: Towards an internationalization of the Libyan conflict

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