By Janet Ekstract
UNITED NATIONS (TURKISH JOURNAL) – On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accompanied by his security cabinet, met for unscheduled talks with Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis.
Erdogan announced that he and Saied discussed ways to work out a ceasefire in Libya.
Meanwhile, the day before Erdogan’s trip to Tunisia, the spokesperson for the Turkish president Ibrahim Kalin indicated that Turkey took broader steps to gain additional military support for Libya should the Turkish government decide to send troops to Libya.
Kalin commented: “There might be a need for an authorization in line with the developments over there. The parliament is conducting work on this issue.” Kalin also said the Turkish government will “continue to support the internationally-recognized Libyan government.”
Kalin added that the support could come in the form of military training or in other sectors such as political support.
Last week, Turkish parliament ratified a security deal between its government and Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) backed by the United Nations.
Libya’s stability with the GNA is being threatened by warlord and self-styled commander Khalifa Haftar and his militias who have wreaked havoc in eastern and western Libya while continually attempting to capture Libya’s capital Tripoli.
The broader issue at stake in any ceasefire negotiation is that Haftar is receiving military support from the UAE, Egypt and Russia.
Scores of civilians have either been injured or lost their lives because of Haftar’s relentless military offensives on civilian areas as well as Libya’s airports.
Both U.S. officials and their European counterparts have met with Haftar urging him to halt the military attacks but were unsuccessful in persuading him.
Haftar controls a huge swath of eastern Libya and his aim is to return Libya to a military dictatorship. Libyans banded together to drive Haftar’s forces out of western Libya and Libya’s civil society have made it clear they will not tolerate another military dictatorship in their country.
