Libyan Foreign Ministry denounces Arab League Secretary-General

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of National Accord (GNA) has denounced the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, for his statement claiming that the condemnation by the League of foreign interventions in Libya concerned only non-Arab countries.

Mr Gheit was said to have made the statement after the extraordinary delegates' meeting of the Organization's Council held last Tuesday in Cairo at the request of Egypt.

According to a statement issued in Tripoli on Wednesday evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, explaining that external interference in Libya applies only to foreigners is "a misinterpretation (...) which violates the Arab League's Charter".

"We are obliged to remind the Secretary-General of the text of Article 8 of the Arab League Charter, which stipulates respect for the internal affairs of states and non-interference," the statement said.

"Is there an interference for regime change in Libya greater than the bombing of Arab planes against the capital, Tripoli, to help outlawed militias take power and overthrow the regime?" asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"One of the first tasks of the Secretary-General of the Arab League is to work to resolve any conflict within Arab countries," the statement said, noting that "the Secretary-General has not taken any initiative to end the aggression against Tripoli".

Tuesday's meeting of Council of the League of Arab States expressed "serious concern at the military escalation, which is exacerbating the crisis in Libya and threatening the security and stability of Libya's neighbours and the region as a whole , including the Mediterranean".

It stressed "the need to stop the military escalation", believing that a "political settlement is the solution, the only way to restore security and stability in Libya and eliminate terrorism".

The Arab League warned of the "danger of violating the text and spirit of the Libyan Political Agreement and relevant international resolutions, so as to allow foreign military interventions that help facilitate the transfer of foreign extremist terrorist fighters to Libya, as well as violations of international resolutions on the arms embargo that threaten the security of Libya's neighbours and the region".

The military escalation has increased in recent days around Tripoli with the intensification of fighting that has continued since 4 April, following the offensive launched by troops of the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar to take the Libyan capital, seat of the internationally-recognised GNA chaired by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Interference by foreign countries such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Russia and France alongside Haftar and Turkey and Qatar, in support of the GNA, have stoked tension, favouring a military solution.

Faced with the current situation, the Berlin Conference, scheduled for the second half of January with the participation of major powers of the UN Security Council, remains the only hope to curb the warlike logic set by Libyan belligerents.

The main objective of the meeting is to declare a ceasefire and to restart the political process for an agreement between Libyans to resolve the crisis.

-0- PANA BY/JSG/BBA/MA 2Jan2019