Panafrican News Agency

US-Turkish-Russian arrangements in Libya and Maghreb efforts to resolve crisis highlighted in news

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Political efforts undertaken after military developments in the west of the country marked by the defeat of Haftar's troops by armed forces loyal to the national accord government resulted in intense contacts among countries involved in the Libyan crisis.

Libyan newspapers published this week questioned the nature of the "obscure" sealed arrangements among the United States, Turkey and Russia.

The diplomatic efforts of the countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) to contribute to the search for a peaceful settlement to the crisis in Libya featured on the cover pages of the Libyan press.

They also showed interest in the discovery of mass graves in Tarhouna, the last town in the west of the country taken over from Haftar's troops.

The Al-Wassat newspaper reported that as the local scene showed clear signals that forces of the National Accord Government were planning to advance on the city of Sirte (Center), after succeeding in taking control of the city of Tarhouna, Washington’s international movements in the Libyan case had provided "vague" signals ranging from its rejoicing over the Cairo initiative to the rejection of the growing Russian influence.

The newspaper said Turkey seems to benefit most from the Americans' reluctance to lead any initiative to end military clashes in Libya.

The newspaper reported that the incitement of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of the conflicting parties to combat Russian influence in Libya suggests that Ankara has been given the green light to move forward in its support for the accord government, especially since the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke of new agreements between his country and the United States in the Libyan file during an interview granted to the official channel "TRT".                         

He highlighted, according to the newspaper, efforts to control the entire city of Sirte, the base of Al-Joufra, 600 km south of the capital, Tripoli, and to progress on the coastal strip and restore control over oil fields to the south and gas wells on the coastal strip, especially around the city of Sirte.

Amid the diplomatic flurry, Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed the Libyan crisis, said Al-Wassat, adding that the Russian presidency said the two presidents "expressed serious concern about the ongoing clashes in Libya".

It added that "the Russian president has stressed the importance of the ceasefire in Libya and the resumption of dialogue between the Libyans as soon as possible, based on the decisions of the International Conference in Berlin of January 19, 2020, approved by the Security Council in its resolution No. 2510, and other international initiatives aimed at achieving a diplomatic and political settlement of the Libyan conflict ".

Referring to the Cairo initiative to resolve the crisis, the newspaper reported that as reactions to the proposal of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi accelerated, Russia and the United States of America announced their support for this proposal in return for a Turkish rejection and the government of national accord.

The three sides do not seem to have the same vision for peace in Libya. The forces of the government of national accord insist on controlling the city of Sirte and Al-Jafra in exchange for the Russian warning "password" in all arrangements in the coming days.

This comes amid fears of direct confrontation, especially as Erdogan acknowledged that the next joint steps in Libya will be determined by consultations with Putin when he raises the question of the presence of Russian soldiers and 19 planes of war on Libyan soil, the newspaper added.                       

The Afrigatenews newspaper addressed the mass graves discovered in Tarhouna, the last stronghold of Haftar in the West of the country, reporting that the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed "his great shock at the discovery of several mass graves in Libya in recent days, most in Tarhouna".

It referred to a statement released by the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General late Friday night in New York, in which he called for "a thorough and transparent investigation and to bring the perpetrators to justice".

The Secretary-General notably called on the authorities to "protect the mass graves from manipulation, identify the victims, identify the causes of the deaths and return the bodies to their families," the newspaper said.

The Secretary-General reminded once again all parties to the conflict in Libya of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

On Thursday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that "it is following with great concern very horrific information on the discovery of at least 8 mass graves in the past few days, most in Tarhouna" .

"According to international law, the authorities must conduct a prompt, transparent and effective investigation into the commission of extrajudicial executions," he said in a tweet on his Twitter account, which was taken up by the newspaper.                      

Returning to diplomatic efforts, the newspaper Al-Wassat clarified that the Libyan file was at the center of a feverish diplomatic activity in the Maghreb, in a race by Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia to ensure mediation between the Libyan parties while arrangements were being made to prepare a summit between Rabat and Ankara in a few weeks.

Al-Wassat reported that Tunisian President Kaïs Saïd received Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and African-African Cooperation Nasser Bourouita during a visit to Tunis, the capital, during which he transmitted to him an "oral message from King Mohammed VI concerning bilateral relations and their development, as well as the regional and international situation".

In addition, Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Noureddine Erray intervened during a meeting with the defense committee in parliament, the newspaper said, adding that it revealed the preparation by his country of an initiative on the Libyan case, which would be submitted to the UN Security Council.

Morocco's decision came just a day after five Algerian ministers landed in Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott, to meet with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani, the newspaper said.

According to the newspaper, although the official Mauritanian press agency vaguely touched on the main lines of this meeting, the Algerian authorities declared that a meeting between the delegation and El-Ghazouani was an opportunity to open the Libyan file.

The same day, Algeria announced its intention to "play its role of mediator to resolve the Libyan crisis and put an end to the bloodshed" just as the minister for Foreign Affairs, Sabri Boukadom had a telephone interview with his counterparts from Spain, Italy and Ireland on the Libyan issue.

 

-0-     PANA     BY/IS/KND   13Jun2020