Responses Vary towards Haftar Accepting Popular Mandate
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Reactions worldwide have varied towards Libya’s eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar decision to end the Skhirat agreement and declare himself ruler of the African country by virtue of a popular mandate. The Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Presidential Council, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, said that Haftar’s announcement resembled a farce and a new coup. It also said the move was meant to cover for the Libyan National Army’s defeat in Tripoli. "It's a farce and the latest in a long series of coups d'etat," the GNA said in a statement on Tuesday. Washington regretted Haftar's "unilateral declaration", calling for dialogue between the two sides and a "humanitarian" truce in light of the new coronavirus. "The United States regrets ... commander Haftar's suggestion that changes to Libya's political structure can be imposed by unilateral declaration," a statement on its embassy's Twitter account said. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday that his country rejected the GNA's refusal to engage with Haftar as well as the latter's unilateral move to usurp power. "We did not support the recent statement by Sarraj, who refused to talk to Marshal Haftar, and we do not support the statement that now Marshal Haftar will decide unilaterally the way for the Libyan people to live," said Lavrov. "Neither of these factors helps to find a stable compromise, without which it is impossible to get out of this crisis." The European Union stressed that Haftar's statements "do not provide a solution to the situation in the country." It added that "unilateral actions and declarations cannot bring the country out of the conflict and return it to the path of peace", and "it cannot be accepted." The German Foreign Ministry also considered that "the conflict in Libya cannot be resolved militarily or through unilateral declarations, but rather through a political process with the participation of all regions and groups of the people."
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2258786/responses-vary-towards-haftar-accepting-popular-mandate
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