Sarraj Holds Onto Civilian State in Libya, Rotation of Power

Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters
Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters
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Sarraj Holds Onto Civilian State in Libya, Rotation of Power

Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters
Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters

Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj described Libya as a civilian state amid preparations by the Libyan National Army (LNA) “to liberate Tripoli.”

During his meeting with 50 members of the House of Representatives led by the deputy speaker, Fawzi al-Nuwairi, he talked about his vision on the civilian state, the unity of its sovereign institutions, and separation and rotation of power.

According to the statement, Sarraj underscored the importance of national accord and tackled the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) to set the stage for elections.

He pointed out that the conferees expressed their support to the civil state and the NDC that is set to be held in mid-April in Ghadames, northwestern Libya.

Further, Speaker Aguila Saleh assured that all matters will be on track as he met the foreign minister of the government allied with the parliament, Abdulhadi al-Hweij. Saleh noted that the legitimate bodies should cooperate to overcome this phase, according to the statement.

In return, Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar said that he wants to put an end to the suffering of the Libyans. During his meeting with a delegation of EU ambassadors, Haftar said he was seeking the creation of a state that provides security to Libyans.

His statement coincided with Troops of 115 Task Force Battalion affirming that its members are ready to liberate Tripoli.

“Tripoli is in our hearts,” the battalion said on Thursday on its Facebook page.

Its members “are ready to sacrifice their lives by either reaching victory or martyrdom,” it said.



Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
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Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish fighters in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.
Following Assad's departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG group must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria's future. The change in Syria's leadership has left the country's main Kurdish factions on the back foot.
"The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.
"We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings," he added.
Türkiye views the Kurdish YPG group- the main component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. Ankara has repeatedly called on its NATO ally Washington and others to stop supporting the YPG.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense ministry said the armed forces had killed 21 YPG-PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.
In a Reuters interview last week, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye, a core demand from Ankara.
He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
Erdogan also said Türkiye would soon open its consulate in Aleppo, and added Ankara expected an increase in traffic at its borders in the summer of next year, as some of the millions of Syrian migrants it hosts begin returning.