GNA Leader rules out any future negotiations with Haftar

Leader of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Faiez Serraj Wednesday ruled out possibilities to sit down again at a negotiation table with his rival Khalifar Haftar that he accused of committing crimes against all Libyans.

In an interview with Italy’s La Repubblica, Serraj charged the east-based retired military General with bombing “indiscriminately Tripoli, residential zones, civil institutions and even the public hospital of Al Khadra, in the center of the capital.”

“I will never sit down with Haftar, after the disasters and the crimes he committed against all Libyans,” Sarraj told La Repubblica.

“We have always tried to solve our disputes through a political process, but any agreement was rejected by Haftar,” he added.

Both sides have been vying over the control of the oil-rich country territory following the demise of former leader Muammar Gaddafi killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

The GNA has been defending capital Tripoli for over one year, after Haftar launched a surprise military campaign to unseat the UN-backed government in April last year.

The GNA this week managed to recover several cities, which fell under Haftar’s control amid the ongoing battles around Tripoli.

Serraj also laid into Haftar for taking the advantage of novel coronavirus spread to attack his troops.

“We had agreed to observe the ceasefire and the humanitarian truce, but without letting our guard down,” Sarraj told La Repubblica. “We expected that the dangers of the epidemic would have turned Haftar into a man of his word, for once. But he saw in the pandemic an opportunity to attack us.”

The two sides have received backing from several countries. Turkey and Qatar have thrown their supports behind the GNA while Haftar is endorsed by UAE, Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and France.

GNA and Ankara signed, late in November 2019, a maritime and security deal, which allows Turkey to intervene militarily in the crisis-devastated North African country.

However, Serraj has refused to admit the crucial help from Turkey, which has sent military experts, equipment and mercenaries to Tripoli to prop GNA forces.