The Mercenaries… A Final Bargaining Chip For International Parties In Libya

Special Forces troops during a military training in the city of Al-Khums  (AFP)
Special Forces troops during a military training in the city of Al-Khums (AFP)
TT

The Mercenaries… A Final Bargaining Chip For International Parties In Libya

Special Forces troops during a military training in the city of Al-Khums  (AFP)
Special Forces troops during a military training in the city of Al-Khums (AFP)

Despite the freezing of military operations between Libya’s “eastern and western camps", in accordance with the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva on Oct. 23, some international parties are still encouraging the presence of their mercenaries to achieve personal interests.

The military “theater of operations”, which is located near the city of Sirte, remains an open field for forces loyal to Turkey, and others affiliated with Russia.

Some Libyan politicians believe that Ankara “did not come to the country to leave quickly.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Saturday that the Turkish government has sent a new batch of “mercenaries” to Libya during the past few days, consisting of 380 members.

In this regard, Libyan politicians noted that the withdrawal of “mercenary regiments”, whether they were loyal to Turkey or those affiliated with Russia, passes through “numerous bargains”, as the last card to achieve gains.

While eight members of the US Congress called on the administration of President Joe Biden, last week, to exercise all the necessary influence to persuade or force foreign “mercenaries” to leave the Libyan soil, Turkey continues to push more elements into the country, while the Russian side denies the presence of its fighters in the ranks of the Libyan National Army.

Consequently, it is expected that fighting in Sirte would continue amid a clash of interests and despite calls by the UN and international and regional parties to expel mercenaries and foreign fighters from the country.

In this regard, the National Committee for Human Rights in Libya called on the 5+5 Joint Military Commission to work to expedite the implementation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement, including the expulsion of all foreign mercenaries and foreign forces from Libyan lands without exception, and the suspension of military and security cooperation agreements signed during the period of armed conflict.

The committee also called on the Security Council and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to speed up the work of the international observer mission, which is charged with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
TT

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)

Politicians in Beirut said they have not received any credible information about Washington resuming its mediation efforts towards reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon despite reports to the contrary.

Efforts came to a halt after US envoy Amos Hochstein’s last visit to Beirut three weeks ago.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri dismissed the reports as media fodder, saying nothing official has been received.

Lebanon is awaiting tangible proposals on which it can build its position, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The only credible proposal on the table is United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, whose articles must be implemented in full by Lebanon and Israel, “not just Lebanon alone,” he stressed.

Resolution 1701 was issued to end the 2006 July war between Hezbollah and Israel and calls for removing all weapons from southern Lebanon and that the only armed presence there be restricted to the army and UN peacekeepers.

Western diplomatic sources in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri opposes one of the most important articles of the proposed solution to end the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

He is opposed to the German and British participation in the proposed mechanism to monitor the implementation of resolution 1701. The other participants are the United States and France.

Other sources said Berri is opposed to the mechanism itself since one is already available and it is embodied in the UN peacekeepers, whom the US and France can join.

The sources revealed that the solution to the conflict has a foreign and internal aspect. The foreign one includes Israel, the US and Russia and seeks guarantees that would prevent Hezbollah from rearming itself. The second covers Lebanese guarantees on the implementation of resolution 1701.

Berri refused to comment on the media reports, but told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was the first time that discussions are being held about guarantees.

He added that “Israel is now in crisis because it has failed to achieve its military objectives, so it has resorted to more killing and destruction undeterred.”

He highlighted the “steadfastness of the UN peacekeepers in the South who have refused to leave their positions despite the repeated Israeli attacks.”