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Haftar Rejects Sarraj Proposal for Military, Security Coordination

LNA commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)
LNA commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)
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Haftar Rejects Sarraj Proposal for Military, Security Coordination

LNA commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)
LNA commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)

Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) rejected a proposal by Government of National Accord chief Fayez al-Sarraj to establish military and security coordination between them to combat terrorism.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari stated that disputes with the GNA still stand due to Sarraj’s insistence on considering himself high commander of the Libyan army.

Haftar refuses to be affiliated to an illegitimate government, he said.

Sarraj had made an indirect proposal for military and security coordination with the LNA during the GNA’s commemoration of the eighth anniversary of Libya’s 2011 popular revolt that toppled the regime of longtime ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi.

The GNA said that it rejects the exploitation of the war on terrorism to advance political agendas.

There can be no military solution to the crisis, it stressed, while confirming its commitment to holding elections in the country.

“The overwhelming majority of the people want to hold elections and all sides must yield to the will of the people,” it declared.

Meanwhile, Mismari said that uniting the military institution in Libya according to Egyptian-sponsored negotiations will fail because of the lack of disciplined military forces that adhere to Tripoli.

The capital is instead controlled by militias, he noted.

Moreover, he stressed that the LNA will continue its mission to liberate the remaining cities of the South from the clutches of terrorist groups and Chadian gangs.

The LNA is seeking to secure Libya’s borders with neighboring countries of Niger, Algeria and Chad, he stated.

Marking the eighth anniversary of the revolt, the US embassy in Libya tweeted: “The United States reaffirms its commitment to stand with all Libyans who are working to achieve a more secure and prosperous future in Libya.”

British Ambassador to Libya Frank Baker tweeted that the Libyan people must unite on the occasion in order to achieve their country’s stability and prosperity.

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Arab World

Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The election of a new president in Lebanon does not mean the country has come out of the economic and political crises which have gutted it for years. Yet Thursday’s vote marks the beginning of a new phase that carries many challenges for the president and the upcoming government.

It is Joseph Aoun’s responsibility now to appoint a prime minister following binding parliamentary consultations and then form the Cabinet together with the PM.

According to observers, Aoun’s term should carry a roadmap to salvage the country, and a clear plan to address crises and domestic and foreign challenges.

However, there is no magic wand to solve Lebanon’s entire crises.

Instead, Aoun needs a unified working team that should draft a clear ministerial statement that reflects the President’s inaugural speech and his pledge of a “new era” for Lebanon.

“The president's speech constitutes a detailed program for governance. However, his program needs a cabinet capable of implementing it,” former Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Najjar described the new President as an honest, clean and courageous Lebanese man.

“His election must be followed by the formation of a bold cabinet with new faces, capable of working and making achievements,” he said.

“The Lebanese people expect President Aoun to change the quota-based mentality of politicians. They hope his term will help remove old political figures, who are rooted in the Lebanese quagmire,” the former minister noted.

Former MP Fares Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun’s first task is to implement the Constitution and the National Accord document.

“In the early 1990s, the Constitution was no longer being implemented due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2005, the Constitution was again ignored because of Iranian arms.”

Therefore, Soueid said, the Lebanese eagerly expect this new era to constitute a real opportunity for the implementation of both documents.

For years, Lebanon has failed to properly implement its Constitution and UN resolutions, mainly because some political parties had considered their implementation as “a target against their so-called resistance.”

“With the election of President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has opened a blank page that could meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and write a new chapter in the country’s history,” Najjar said.

According to Soueid, Aoun has a task to return Lebanon to its Arab identity. “This is slowly beginning to show through the decline of Iranian influence in the region,” he said.

Also, Soueid said, the new President should mend Lebanon’s relations with the international community by implementing all UN resolutions.

Addressing Parliament and Lebanese people with an acceptance speech, Aoun on Thursday vowed that the Lebanese authorities will have the monopoly on arms and will be committed to a strong state that will extend its sovereignty over the entire territory.

“This is in line with UN resolutions, which if implemented, will bring Lebanon back to the Arab and international scene,” Soueid said.