Libya: Turkey warns Haftar over attack on Tripoli

Ankara has warned Libya’s Khalifa Haftar against continuous attack on the capital Tripoli.

The Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdogan gave the warning during an address to his ruling party’s legislators Tuesday.

He extolled Fayez Sarraj, head of Libya’s UN-backed government, saying he had displayed a positive stance during peace talks in Moscow.

‘‘In the coming days, we will be closely following the choices that the coup-plotter Haftar and the country’s legitimate government will make. In the event that attacks against the country’s legitimate government and our Libyan brothers continue, we will never refrain from giving Haftar the lesson he deserves”, the Turkish president said.

Erdogan expressed his unhappiness about the change of attitude by Haftar on Monday during the Moscow meeting on Libya.

“The Tripoli government displayed an extremely constructive and reconciliatory stance in the talks that took place in Moscow yesterday to ensure that the cease-fire is put to paper. Despite the positive stance of the Tripoli government, or of the Tripoli government under Sarraj’s leadership, the coup-plotting Haftar did not want to sign the cease-fire. He first said ‘yes’ but later unfortunately he left Moscow, he fled from Moscow”, Erdogan added.

Despite this, the international community is scrambling to find a way out of the Libyan crisis.

Germany intends to play its part. On Sunday, a new conference on Libya will be held in Berlin.

AP