Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune revealed that “all Libyan parties” do not oppose his country’s mediation to resolve their conflict.
“Algeria does not have expansionist or economic ambitions in Libya,” he told the press on Thursday.
“Its only concern is ending the fighting because, as Algerians, we have endured a similar plight,” he added in reference to the country’s conflict against terrorism in the mid-1990s.
Furthermore, Tebboune said that neither Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, Government of National Accord (GNA) chief Fayez al-Sarraj, nor Libyan tribes oppose Algiers’ mediation.
This is the first time that the president reveals that Haftar does not oppose a mediation that Algeria has sought for years to achieve in neighboring Libya. It is perceived that Haftar has lukewarm relations with Algerian officials over their support for his rival, Sarraj.
Tebboune received in Algiers on Saturday speaker of the east-based Libyan parliament, Aguila Saleh, who arrived in the capital on an official visit at the president’s invitation.
Tebboune continued: “The military option will not resolve the Libyan conflict. Algeria stands at an equal distance from all parties and is ready to help end the crisis.”
He said Algeria was prepared to help Libyans manage their internal affairs as they build institutions and organize elections.
“All nations, including major powers, support Algeria’s position,” he stressed, while remaining vague on how his country plans on ending the fighting.
The president did, however, say that Algeria has exerted diplomatic efforts to end the unrest, stressing the need to return to dialogue and negotiations.
Major powers acknowledge that Algeria is in a solid position to reach peace in Libya due to the good relations it enjoys with Egypt and Tunisia, he added.
