Salama succeeds in returning "reconciliation" to negotiations and says: My mission in Libya is not impossible

Ghassan Salameh, the UN special envoy to Libya, who succeeded Thursday in bringing the Libyan National Accord government back to the table in Geneva, said his mission was "very difficult" but "not impossible".

"I have always been told that my mission is impossible, but I never considered it as such. The day I conclude that my vision is very impossible I will not be among you," Salama said in an interview with the French Press Agency, shortly after the announcement of the resumption of indirect military talks aimed at establishing a cease-fire. .

"At the moment I think my mission is possible, I do not say it is easy. It is very difficult, but it is possible," Salama added, stressing that he was "very happy" that the two delegations would work "with greater determination to reach an agreement."

The special envoy, who negotiates with the two delegations separately, said that the negotiations, in which two senior military leaders are involved, "are technical but vital," stressing the importance of their success.

The government of Tripoli had decided on Tuesday evening to suspend its participation in the talks after a port in Tripoli came under rocket fire, before Thursday decided to return to the negotiating table.

Salameh revealed that he had a "phone call" on Wednesday evening with Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the government of national reconciliation recognized by the United Nations, in order to inform him that he understood "that the suspension of his government's participation in the negotiations is in line with public opinion."

But he made it clear that "whenever resentment is expressed, we must not waste the precious time we spend in Geneva."

Salameh said that not taking advantage of the current international momentum created by the Berlin conference last January and that was followed by the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution on February 12, for him, would be "a fatal sin."

The February 12 decision is the first issued by the Security Council since retired Major General Khalifa Haftar launched on April 4, 2019 an attack to take control of Tripoli, the headquarters of the Al-Wefaq government.

The Presidential Council of the Al-Wefaq government had suspended its participation in the negotiations of the Joint Military Commission with the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter (5 + 5), in response to the bombing of the port of Tripoli recently.

The United Nations Mission in Libya has strongly condemned the attacks by Haftar forces on the port of Tripoli, called for an end to the escalation and provocative actions, and urged all parties to resume dialogue.

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with the head of the internationally recognized Libyan Accord government, Fayez al-Sarraj, today in Istanbul.

The Turkish presidency said - without mentioning any details - that the closed meeting held in Dolma Bahja Palace on the banks of the Bosphorus was not included in the schedule of Erdogan's official meetings.

There was no official comment on the outcome of the meeting.

Al-Sarraj's visit to Istanbul comes less than 48 hours before a visit by retired Major General Khalifa Hifter to Moscow, where he met the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and the two parties agreed on the need to implement the decisions of the Berlin Conference on the Libyan crisis.