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Turkey May Not Send Forces to Libya if Haftar Halts Tripoli Offensive

A fighter loyal to the GNA fires a heavy machine gun during clashes with the LNA on the outskirts of Tripoli. (Reuters)
A fighter loyal to the GNA fires a heavy machine gun during clashes with the LNA on the outskirts of Tripoli. (Reuters)
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Turkey May Not Send Forces to Libya if Haftar Halts Tripoli Offensive

A fighter loyal to the GNA fires a heavy machine gun during clashes with the LNA on the outskirts of Tripoli. (Reuters)
A fighter loyal to the GNA fires a heavy machine gun during clashes with the LNA on the outskirts of Tripoli. (Reuters)

Turkey may hold off from sending troops to Libya if the Libyan National Army, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, halts its offensive against the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and pulls back, the Turkish vice president said on Wednesday.

The Turkish parliament is due to debate and vote on a bill mandating the deployment of military forces to Libya on Thursday after Fayez al-Sarraj’s GNA requested support as part of a military cooperation agreement.

“After the bill passed from the parliament...it might happen that we would see something different, a different stance and they would say “okay, we are withdrawing, dropping the offensive”,” Fuat Oktay said in an interview with Andalou news agency. “Then, why would we go there?”

Oktay also said that Ankara hoped the Turkish bill would send a deterrent message to the warring parties.

Ankara has already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations embargo, according to a UN report seen by Reuters, and has said it will continue to support it.

In November, Ankara signed a security and military cooperation deal and also inked a maritime jurisdiction agreement with the GNA.

The moves have drawn the ire of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece.

Egypt, in a letter sent to the United Nations last week, said it considers the agreements "void and without legal effect", adding that foreign military involvement in Libya amounted to a violation of a UN arms embargo.

The Arab League called Tuesday for efforts to "prevent foreign interference" in Libya.

On Monday, the UN's Libya envoy, Ghassan Salame, said the deals signed by Turkey and the GNA represented an "escalation" of the conflict wracking the North African country.

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Arab World

Islamic Consensus in Istanbul on Need for Solidarity Against Israeli Escalation

A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
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Islamic Consensus in Istanbul on Need for Solidarity Against Israeli Escalation

A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)

The 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Istanbul, witnessed a clear consensus among member states on the need for unity and solidarity in the face of Israel’s ongoing escalation. This comes amid continued international silence on the violations committed in Gaza and Israel’s expanding attacks into Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.
 
In his opening speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that the world’s silence on Israel’s aggressive policies in Palestine has only encouraged its regional expansion. He asserted that the coming period will see a “much greater role for the Islamic world, which must become an independent global power.”
 
Erdogan urged Islamic nations to overcome internal disputes and unite in defending their common causes. He warned that Netanyahu’s “Zionist ambitions” could push the world into catastrophe, likening the threat to that of Adolf Hitler, whose ambitions ignited World War II.
 
Regarding Iran, Erdogan stressed that defending oneself against Israeli attacks is a legitimate right, stating: “There is no difference between an attack on Tehran, Istanbul, Makkah, or Madinah - they share the same fate.”

He also warned against attempts to impose a “new Sykes-Picot” agreement on the region. He added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worse than Nazi concentration camps, with over two million Palestinians struggling to survive under siege for nearly two years.
 
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who assumed the presidency of the session, warned that Israel is dragging the region to the brink of total catastrophe.
He stressed that the core issue is not about Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, or others. It is “an Israeli problem,” he said. He further called for a firm stance against the aggression and praised Egypt and Qatar for their ongoing efforts to mediate a ceasefire.
 
Fidan criticized the failure of international mechanisms, particularly the UN Security Council, in addressing the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
 
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also condemned any targeting of nuclear facilities in Iran, warning of severe humanitarian and environmental consequences. He said that expanding the war will not bring peace and stressed the necessity of returning to diplomacy, referencing past successful negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
 
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi condemned Israel’s violations of international law and sovereignty in its attacks on Iran. He called for restraint, a return to diplomacy, and praised Oman’s mediation between the US and Iran.
 
Closed sessions were held in Istanbul to discuss developments in Gaza and Iran’s nuclear negotiations. A special Arab ministerial meeting also took place, denouncing the Israeli aggression against Iran and calling for urgent efforts to de-escalate.