UN envoy warns of 'escalation' in Libya conflict
The United Nations envoy to Libya says military deals between Turkey and the UN-backed Libyan government represent the escalation of conflict in the North African country.
Speaking to French daily Le Monde, the UN envoy said the agreements represent "a clear escalation of the conflict" in Libya.
Ghassan Salame made the remarks after the Turkish presidency sent a bill to parliament to speed up a plan to deploy troops to Libya.
The bill mandates troop deployment to Libya despite the opposition’s rejection, three days after Ankara announced the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) had officially requested military support from Turkey.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced the news during a press conference on Monday, following a closed-door meeting with opposition leaders to rally support for the legislation.
In his Le Monde interview, the UN envoy also deplored what he called the "internationalization of the conflict", which has deepened further this year, drawing in a plethora of external forces and powers.
"We have seen mercenaries from several nationalities ... arrive (in Libya) to support Haftar's forces in Tripoli," he said.
"We are facing an extremely dangerous situation where the credibility of the UN is at stake," he warned.
Salame also deplored the fact that the UN Security Council has yet to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the battle for Tripoli.
His remarks came as Egypt has called for an urgent meeting Tuesday of the Cairo-based Arab League to discuss "developments in Libya and the possibility of an escalation" there.
Since 2014, Libya has been divided between two rival camps: one based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and the other, the internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, known as the GNA, in the capital Tripoli.
A renegade general, Khalifa Haftar, is the self-proclaimed commander of an array of militia groups, collectively known as the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), and is apparently supporting the eastern government.
In April, Haftar’s forces launched an offensive to capture Tripoli. Despite intense and deadly clashes between the two sides, Haftar has so far failed to achieve his objective and his offensive stalled outside the capital.
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