Libya: Rabat Rejects any Foreign Intervention on all Grounds

Morocco has voiced its rejection of any foreign intervention in Libya on all grounds and regardless of cited motives, affirming that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis.

The remarks were made by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at a press conference held Tuesday in Dakhla on the occasion of the opening of a Gambian General Consulate in the pearl of the Moroccan Sahara.

The resolution of the Libyan conflict can only be political and through a consensus between the warring factions, said Bourita expressing Morocco’s deep concern over the military escalation in the North African country.

Foreign intervention has only complicated the situation in Libya and undermined political solution in the country, torn by internal conflicts threatening peace and security of the whole Maghreb region, deplored the minister.

Political solution must be based on the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement, the consolidation of this deal and its improvement if necessary, he stressed, noting that the responsibility of the international community is to help Libyans reach a political agreement far from foreign agendas that do not serve the interest of the Libyan people.

“Morocco calls for restraint and respect for Libya’s territorial integrity”, underlined Bourita amid some news reports that Turkish soldiers started deploying in Libya to prevent the besieged Government of National Accord from falling.

To counter the military offensive launched by the Libyan National Army, under the command of Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the UN-backed Government of National Accord, led by PM Fayez al-Sarraj requested military support from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who agreed to send troops to defend Tripoli. Ankara’s Parliament approved the deployment, but the UN and several countries opposed the Turkish military intervention.

 

Khalifa Haftar on his part declared general mobilization “to fend off any Turkish military interference in Libya.”

As back-up to his words, the coastal city of Sirte fell to the LNA Monday in less than three hours, prompting suggestions that the neighboring city of Misrata, critical to the Tripoli government’s survival, will fall next.

Ghassan Salamé, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) also condemned military intervention in the country at a press briefing in New York on Monday, following a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.

“Take your hands out of Libya,” he urged.

“What I asked the Security Council, and what I asked these countries, is very clear: keep out of Libya. There are enough weapons in Libya; they do not need extra weapons. There are enough mercenaries in Libya, so stop sending mercenaries as is the case right now with hundreds, probably thousands, coming into the country of late”, he said.

Libya’s House of Representatives also denounced what it called “Turkish blatant interference into Libyan affairs.”

The parliament refused to ratify the two agreements signed by Turkey and the GNA on 27 November 2019 to establish new maritime borders between the two countries and increase security cooperation and voted to cut relations with Turkey and shut down the embassies in the two countries.

The parliamentary session held on Saturday also voted unanimously to refer the head the GNA Fayez Al-Sarraj, and his foreign minister to the prosecution over accusation of “high treason.”