عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Menfi in Turkey for Talks on Mercenary Pullout from Libya

Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi (left) and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi (right) meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. (Reuters)
Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi (left) and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi (right) meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. (Reuters)
    Ankara, Cairo - Saeed Abdulrazek and Khaled Mahmoud
TT
TT

Menfi in Turkey for Talks on Mercenary Pullout from Libya

Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi (left) and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi (right) meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. (Reuters)
Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi (left) and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi (right) meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. (Reuters)

New head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi held talks in Istanbul on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The meeting focused on the developments in the North African country and cooperation with Ankara.

Turkish presidency sources said the discussions, which were attended by president spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, tackled means to develop Libyan-Turkish relations on all levels.

Menfi was invited to Turkey by Erdogan. It is his first to the country since assuming his position at the helm of the Presidential Council, which will run the country until elections are held in December.

Informed sources said Menfi and Erdogan discussed the new Libyan administration’s commitment to understandings and agreements that were struck by the Government of National Accord, which was headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Erdogan expressed his support for the new Government of National Unity (GNU) as it seeks to achieve stability in Libya.

Turkey has yielded to international pressure and started to pull out this week Syrian mercenaries it had brought to Libya to prop up the GNA during its battle against the Libyan National Army in 2019. Ankara has so far withdrawn some 120 Syrians and more will follow.

Prior to traveling to Istanbul, Menfi had visited Cairo on Thursday where he held talks with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who underscored Egypt’s complete support to the new interim Libyan authority.

In a telephone call with Asharq Al-Awsat, one of Menfi’s aides revealed that his trip to Turkey was aimed at resolving the mercenaries file, especially pro-Turkish Syrian fighters.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the aide said Menfi was seeking to ride the wave of international and regional support and demands for ending foreign presence in Libya “as soon as possible”.

The withdrawal should set the right conditions on the ground to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December, he added.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightening offensive by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group a month ago.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on HTS - and some leaders - for its days as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington and others, adding: "As a result, the Syrian economy is under extreme pressure and is not able to cope with the challenges facing the country." Russia was an Assad ally throughout the war.

'END THE SUFFERING'

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the UN Security Council al-Qaeda and ISIS sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

There are no UN sanctions on Syria over the civil war.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak was appointed a year ago by Assad's government but told the council on Wednesday that he was speaking for the caretaker authorities.

"It is high time to end the suffering, to enable Syrians to live in security and prosperity, to live a dignified life in their country, to build a better future for their country," Aldahhak said.

"For this reason, we call upon the United Nations and its member states to immediately and fully lift the unilateral coercive measures to provide the necessary financing to meet humanitarian needs and recover basic services," he said.

Pedersen said he is seeking to work with the caretaker authorities in Syria "on how the nascent and important ideas and steps so far articulated and initiated could be developed towards a credible and inclusive political transition."

Pedersen said attacks on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop, specifically calling out Israel.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.

"Reports of the IDF using live ammunition against civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are also very worrying," Pedersen said. "Such violations, along with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition."