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According to Khalid al-Sharif, a former Libyan senior official and one of the current military leaders affiliated with the UN-backed Government of National Accord, finding a solution to the Libyan crisis relies on Morocco’s efforts. Speaking to Yabiladi on Monday, al-Sharif answers questions related to what lies behind-the-scenes of the crisis in Libya.
How do you describe the current situation in Libya ?
The battle to defend Tripoli is still ongoing. The Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, is regaining its lost ground. Today, we have managed to make progress near the Tripoli airport area, and battles are ongoing to force the Haftar forces to back down and retreat.
There is a big difference between the weapons used by the Government of National Accord and the ones owned by the Haftar militias. Arms and equipment the Government of National Accord rely on are mostly inherited from the former regime. On the other hand, the Haftar forces use modern Emirati armor and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Does Haftar’s offensive to take over Tripoli topple the Skhirat deal ?
Of course, it did. I think that everything is clear now. Libyans were expected to attend a conference days before the offensive launched to take over Tripoli. Now, there is no room for political dialogue.
Who is backing Haftar and who supports the Government of National Accord ?
The countries that openly support Haftar are known, namely the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France. The Government of National Accord is standing alone against Haftar, without relying on modern weapons.
Khalid al-Sharif, a former Libyan official. / Ph. DR
Qatar and Turkey stand with the al-Sarraj government, which is internationally supported. But this support is just political, contrary to other countries that stand by the other side.
Tunisia and Algeria back the Skhirat deal, supporting the political solution without interfering in the crisis.
Do you believe that the Government of National Accord was abandoned by the international community ?
Unfortunately, the international community shows sympathy for Khalifa Haftar. When signing the Skhirat deal, it was stated that violating the agreement would lead to international sanctions.
However, Haftar and the government of Abdullah al-Thani, based in Tobruk, did not respect this agreement and did not recognize the al-Sarraj government. The international community did not react to that, without imposing sanctions on the party that breached the agreement.
What do you think of the Moroccan position regarding the situation in Libya ?
We hope that Morocco will play a bigger and more active role, especially since the Kingdom and Libya are members of the Arab Maghreb Union and the relations and ties are strong between the two countries.
We have realized that Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia play a negative role in the Libyan crisis, but we hope that Morocco will play a positive role, especially since the Skhirat Agreement is closely linked to Morocco.
