Arriving Thursday evening in Athens, Marshal Haftar continued his talks in Greece, Friday, January 17, two days before a conference in Berlin in which he said he was ready to participate and which aims to launch a peace process in Libya under the aegis of the UN.
The strong man from eastern Libya is due to hold talks with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Friday after meeting him for the first time when he arrives at a hotel in the capital. He must then be received a little later by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said sources close to the discussions.
Libya, which has Africa's largest oil reserves, has been plagued by violence and power struggles since the fall and death in 2011 of dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
The forces of Marshal Haftar launched in April 2019 an offensive in an attempt to seize Tripoli. More than 280 civilians have been killed since, as well as more than 2,000 combatants, according to the UN. Some 146,000 Libyans had to flee the fighting. A generally respected cessation of hostilities has been in effect since January 12.
Athens opposed to Libya-Turkey deals
Host of the day's discussions, Athens opposes the agreements concluded on November 27 by the head of the Government of national unity (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, main support of the GNA against Marshal Haftar.
These agreements allow Turkey to assert rights over large areas in the eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish president said Thursday that his country would start "drilling as soon as possible" in these disputed oil-rich areas.
In a joint statement issued a week ago, Cyprus, Egypt, France and Greece ruled these agreements "null and void".
Athens has sought to strengthen ties with Marshal Haftar, whom the Greek foreign minister met last month in his stronghold in Benghazi, in eastern Libya.
"The imperative is the continuation of the cease-fire" in Libya
Prime Minister Mitsotakis warned Thursday that Greece will veto any peace agreement in Libya within the European Union if the Ankara-Tripoli agreements are not canceled. He also said that to exclude Greece from the Berlin conference was "a mistake".
Ankara militarily supports the government of Fayez al-Sarraj, recognized by the UN and which sits in Tripoli. Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the dispatch of troops to Libya to help the GNA to repel the assaults of Marshal Haftar's forces - supported by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, two adversaries of Turkey.
Fayez al-Sarraj confirmed Thursday, via his press service in Tripoli, that he would participate in the international conference which is held Sunday in Berlin.
Marshal Haftar also received in Benghazi the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, Heiko Maas. He "promised to respect the cease-fire" and "made it clear that he wanted to contribute to the success of the Berlin conference and be ready in principle to participate in it," the German minister said on Twitter after the interview.
Marshal Haftar had left Moscow on Sunday without signing the cease-fire agreement, after discussions organized under the aegis of Russia and Turkey.
Several countries will be represented in Berlin, including Russia, Turkey, the United States, China, Italy and France.
The US State Department has said that Mike Pompeo will attend the Berlin conference. The secretary of state should urge foreign forces to withdraw from Libya and demand a resumption of the peace process under the auspices of the UN, an American official said on Thursday. "The imperative is the continuation of the cease-fire," said the official on condition of anonymity.
With AFP
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