Libyan Army Promises to ‘Liberate’ Tripoli if Dialogue Fails

Members of the Libyan army's special forces celebrate after the liberation of the last region of Islamist militants in their last stronghold in Benghazi, Libya, July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
Members of the Libyan army's special forces celebrate after the liberation of the last region of Islamist militants in their last stronghold in Benghazi, Libya, July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
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Libyan Army Promises to ‘Liberate’ Tripoli if Dialogue Fails

Members of the Libyan army's special forces celebrate after the liberation of the last region of Islamist militants in their last stronghold in Benghazi, Libya, July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
Members of the Libyan army's special forces celebrate after the liberation of the last region of Islamist militants in their last stronghold in Benghazi, Libya, July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

General Ahmad al-Mesmari, spokesman for Libyan National Army, accused politicians of involving the country in several crises and resting in Tunisia hotels to propagate themselves. He promised to liberate Tripoli from “militias” and to put an end to the division in case the dialogue failed.

The Libyan High Council of State referred failures of the second dialogue tour in Tunisia to the parliament. Omar Boushah, member of the dialogue committee on the High State Council, said to Asharq Al-Awsat: “We found ourselves negotiating contradictory agendas and blocs.”

Mesmari said that the army is moving on with what it pledged months ago in granting politicians until December 17, adding that Tripoli has become ready to receive the armed forces.

The armed forces succeeded in sidelining blocs in the Western region that have showed intention to join the army, and the situation there is heading towards eradication terrorism, added Mesmari -- he stressed that Libya can’t be safe but through the Arab armed forces.

Mesmari accused politicians without naming them, saying: “You are the reason behind the deterioration of the situation. You aided the foreigners in Libya and you made the country open infront of Qatar, Sudan and Turkey.”

There is a coordination with Egypt on the joint Libyan border to avoid smuggling of ISIS members, weapons and drugs, Mesamri noted. Egyptian armed forces spokesperson Tamer el-Rifai said last September that an agreement has been made with Libyan militants to embark on forming joint technical committees to discuss mechanisms and procedures to unite the Libyan military institution.

Libyan Military Commander Khalifa Haftar stated earlier, “We assure our people in the capital of all Libyans that your demands of an army, police and dismissal of criminal gangs have reached to us.” Further, U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame resumed his tours in Tripoli and met several political parties.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.