Foreign support for Haftar violates peace process: PM

By Hacer Baser

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Foreign intervention in support of renegade commander Khalifa Haftar is in violation of the Berlin peace process, Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said Thursday.

Haftar did not comply with the decisions taken at the Berlin Conference on Libya last month as there has been no strong reaction from the international community against his actions, Sarraj said while meeting with a delegation from Germany’s Foreign Ministry in the capital Tripoli.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Sarraj stressed the continuing violations by Haftar’s militias which may force the government to reconsider participating in a possible dialogue.

Since the ouster of Libya's late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

Libya’s legitimate government has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since last April, claiming the lives of more than 1,000 people.

On Jan. 12, the conflicting parties in Libya announced a ceasefire in response to a joint call by Turkey and Russia’s leaders. But talks for a permanent ceasefire ended without an agreement after Haftar left Moscow on Jan. 14 without signing the deal.

Haftar agreed at the Berlin Conference on Libya on Jan. 19 to designate members to a UN-proposed military commission with five members from each side to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire. The decision was a key result of the conference.