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Libyan Speaker: Qatar and Turkey Violated Sovereignty of Our Country

President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Libyan Speaker: Qatar and Turkey Violated Sovereignty of Our Country

President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Libya depends on Saudi Arabia's support to maintain stability in the country, according to Libyan Speaker Agila Saleh who stressed that Riyadh has a role in the unity of the Arab and Islamic nation, noting that both Qatar and Turkey violated Libya's sovereignty and supported terrorist military factions.

During his interview with Asharq al-Awsat on the sidelines of his visit to Riyadh, where he met with Chairman of Saudi Shura Council Sheikh Abdullah al-Sheikh, Saleh explained that his visit is aimed at developing relations between the two councils and clarifying what is happening in Libya regarding the political agreement.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives praised the Saudi-Libyan relations and stressed the Saudi leadership's keenness to support Libyan people under all circumstances. He added that Libyans rely on the active role of Saudi Arabia, welcomed by Arab and Islamic communities, in exercising diplomacy to prevent foreign interventions, saying: "Let Libyans rule themselves."

Saleh pointed out there is no progress in the Libyan issue because there has not been enough pressure on the UN envoy by the international community to implement the agreement.

"We came to Saudi Arabia, and we rely on the Kingdom to contribute to pressure the UN envoy and accelerate the reunion and the implementation of what was agreed upon," said Saleh.

He also expressed optimism about the appointment of Ghassan Salame as UN envoy to Libya, asking him to expedite the search for a solution.

Qatari - Turkish interventions

Saleh confirmed Turkish and Qatari interventions in Libya, adding that evidence of this intervention is prominent, last of which was discovered on Monday, with a group of terrorists backed by both countries arriving in Libya.

"We wished our Qatari brothers had supported Libya, and were neutral," said Saleh, adding he hoped Doha had respected Libyans.

The Speaker also accused Turkey of arming terrorist groups, the last of which was revealed in Greece trying to smuggle 29 containers full of weapons and explosives to Libya.

On the other hand, he lauded the efforts of the Libyan army and its sacrifices despite the presence of terrorist organizations with developed weapons. He also called upon the tribes and dignitaries to convene and try to find a solution for the Libyan crisis.

Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi

When asked on the candidacy of Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi for presidential elections, Saleh indicated that Libyan parliament annulled the law of political isolation, meaning that every Libyan, whether Saif al-Islam or any other, has the right to run for elections given they are not subject to judicial restrictions.

"It is up to Libyans to choose their candidate, and we as the Parliament, can't rule out any candidacy for any reason," he added.

As for him, Saleh believes that Saif al-Islam's candidature for presidency is not appropriate, given that many Libyans have their concerns and this could further divide the country.

As for the current House of Representatives, the adviser stated that some countries, instead of supporting the legitimacy as they claim, support Muslim Brotherhood, creating a rift among Libyans.

"We were surprised by the political agreement, achieved in Sukhairat by unauthorized people," he stressed.

Saleh stressed that after international pressure, "amendments were approved by the United Nations and the Security Council with the support of the Arab States, indicating that the Presidential Council, instead of including three presidents, becomes composed of a president and two deputies, and the Prime Minister is tasked with presenting the government's program before the parliament for approval and confidence vote."

The Speaker told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision to form an executive authority composed of a president and two deputies from each region, a government of national accord in order to unite institutions, and take Libya out of this crisis was almost unanimous.

The government of national accord (GNA) violated the political agreement, and yet the international community continues to support it, according to Saleh.

Relations with Egypt

Saleh stressed that relations between Libya and Egypt are historic, considering Cairo a refuge for Libyans. He also praised Egypt's cooperation with Libya in securing the border.

The Speaker concluded by calling Arab leaders to unite and assume their responsibilities for a strong Arab nation, adding that it is crucial to join Arab forces together to prevent foreign interventions.

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Interviews

Goldrich to Asharq Al-Awsat: No US Withdrawal from Syria

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
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Goldrich to Asharq Al-Awsat: No US Withdrawal from Syria

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich has told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US does not plan to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The US is committed to “the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with,” he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

Question: Mr. Goldrich, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with us today. I know you are leaving your post soon. How do you assess the accomplishments and challenges remaining?

Answer: Thank you very much for the chance to talk with you today. I've been in this position for three years, and so at the end of three years, I can see that there's a lot that we accomplished and a lot that we have left to do. But at the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries. At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn't be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we've seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we've helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.

Question: I want to talk a little bit about the ISIS situation now that the US troops are still there, do you envision a timeline where they will be withdrawn? Because there were some reports in the press that there is a plan from the Biden administration to withdraw.

Answer: Yeah. So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.

Question: So you can assure people who are saying that you might withdraw, that you are remaining for the time being?

Answer: Yes, and that we remain committed to this mission which needs to continue to be pursued.

Question: You also mentioned the importance of humanitarian aid. The US has been leading on this. Are you satisfied with where you are today on the humanitarian front in Syria?

Answer: We remain committed to the role that we play to provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria. Of the money that was pledged in Brussels, we pledged $593 million just this past spring, and we overall, since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there's been suffering there. We're doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there's a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance.

Question: And that's a perfect key to my next question. Solution in Syria. you are aware that the countries in the region are opening up to Assad again, and you also have the EU signaling overture to the Syrian regime and Assad. How do you deal with that?

Answer: For the United States, our policy continues to be that we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there's been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve. We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don't support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they're doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.

Question: Let's say that all of the countries decided to talk to Assad, aren’t you worried that the US will be alienated in the process?

Answer: The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it's possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that's where it has to start.

Question: My last question to you before you leave, if you have to pick one thing that you need to do in Syria today, what is it that you would like to see happening today?

Answer: So there are a number of things, I think that will always be left and that there are things that we will try to do, to try to make them happen. We want to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened. So even today, we observed something called the International Day for victims of enforced disappearances, there are people that are missing, and we're trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people. So our step today was to sanction a number of officials who were responsible for enforced disappearances, but we also created something called the independent institution for missing persons, and that helps the families, in the non-political way, get information on what's happened. So I'd like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I'd like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn't been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that's because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation. And I would, of course, like it's important to see the continuation of the things that we were talking about, so keeping ISIS from reemerging and maintaining assistance as necessary in the humanitarian sphere. So all these things, some of them are ongoing, and some of them remain to be achieved. But the Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life.