EU calls on rebel leader Khalifa Haftar to halt offensive on Tripoli to avoid civil war – France under pressure to condemn Haftar
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The EU called on rebel leader Khalifa Haftar to halt offensive on Tripoli to avoid civil war, France 24 reports.
The Libyan Report said that while EU Foreign Ministers discussed the future of Libya in a meeting on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc was united on echoing the G7’s call for eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar to halt his advance on Tripoli. She called for a truce and a return to political negotiations in the war-torn country.
Yet the positions of EU Member States on the Libya civil war have so far been everything but aligned.
The report said that France was being pressured to condemn Haftar’s advance on the capital Tripoli — rather than blame all sides of the conflict, like in the G7 Foreign Ministers statement issued last week.
“We urge all involved parties to immediately halt all military activity and movements toward Tripoli,” the statement said.
It was German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas who clarified that Haftar was more specifically targetted by the G7 statement, while French Foreign Minister Le Drian emphasised the need for a ‘political solution‘ in Libya.
On Monday, British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt singled out Haftar for criticism ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers Council. According to The Guardian newspaper, he will press France to condemn Haftar specifically.
France, which has been heavily involved in facilitating the peace talks in Libya, had so far considered Haftar as a key player in the crisis but has denied supporting him as his forces sought to push into the capital Tripoli.
A French diplomatic source said on Monday that France had no prior warning of Libya’s eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s advance on the capital Tripoli and was not trying to clandestinely undermine the country’s peace process.
“The immediate need in Libya is to protect the civilian population, put an end to the fighting, and get all the key Libyan players back around the table,” the diplomat said. France had “no hidden agenda”, the official added.
In a press conference following the EU Foreign Ministers meeting, Mogherini played down the bloc’s divisions. “There have been different perspectives”, Mogherini told reporters, “but member states realise the need for a united European voice.” No formal written conclusions were adopted by EU Ministers, she added.
