Greece expects Germany to safeguard European positions, Dendias says
Jan.17, 2020
After talks with Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar on Friday, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece expected Germany to safeguard European positions at Sunday’s summit on the Libya crisis in Berlin – which include that the Turkey-Libya maritime boundaries agreement is invalid.
Dendias said that Greece had urged Haftar to join the Berlin summit with a “constructive spirit,” with the aim of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire and the withdrawal of mercenaries.
Greece has not been invited to participate in Sunday’s talks.
Read more at http://www.ekathimerini.com/248545/article/ekathimerini/news/greece-expects-germany-to-safeguard-european-positions-dendias-says
Erdogan says Turkey to ship more troops to Libya, grant exploration rights for eastern Mediterranean
16 January, 2020
Turkey will send more troops to Libya in support of the country’s United Nations-backed government, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, adding that Ankara would grant licenses for exploration and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean this year.
Erdogan is due to meet with the leaders of Russia, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom on Sunday to address the ongoing conflict.
Speaking in Ankara on Thursday, the president said Turkey would continue to use all diplomatic and military means to ensure stability.
Read more at https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/16/turkey-to-grant-exploration-rights-for-eastern-mediterranean-erdogan
Libya’s Haftar secretly flies to Greece ahead of Berlin summit
Military commander signals willingness to attend summit in Germany that includes Pompeo and other major players.
Jan. 16, 2020
Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar secretly flew to Athens on Thursday for talks as Greece criticised its exclusion from a United Nations-backed peace conference in Berlin this weekend.
The Berlin talks are the latest international effort to end nine months of fighting between Haftar’s forces based in the east of Libya and the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.
Read more at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/libya-haftar-secretly-flies-greece-berlin-summit-200116212706542.html
Libya’s Haftar ‘committed’ to ceasefire and peace talks, Germany says
Military commander ‘willing to participate’ in upcoming Berlin peace talks, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says
16 January 2020
Libya’s eastern military commander, who is laying siege to the capital Tripoli, is reportedly committed to a ceasefire that was brokered by Turkey and Russia last week, and will attend upcoming peace talks in Berlin, Germany’s foreign minister said.
Heiko Maas said in a statement on Twitter that Khalifa Haftar, who has led a nine-month offensive to capture Tripoli, is willing to attend a conference in Berlin on Sunday aimed at addressing the conflict.
“General Haftar has signalled his readiness to contribute to the success of the Libya Conference in Berlin and is willing to participate,” Maas tweeted on Thursday after meetings in Benghazi. “He has repeated his commitment to observe the existing ceasefire.”
Read more at https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/libyas-haftar-committed-ceasefire-peace-talks-germany-says
Turkish public opposes troop deployments to Libya, poll indicates
Analysts say Turks are struggling to understand why their soldiers should be fighting in a country so far away
Ragip Soylu
Jan. 10, 2020
Turkey’s public overwhelmingly opposes the deployment of Turkish troops to Libya, a new poll conducted by an Istanbul-based research institute indicated on Friday.
Fifty-eight percent of the respondents said Turkey should not send forces to the North African country in a bid to save the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), which is facing off an assault from the forces of Khalifa Haftar.
Just 34 percent of the respondents said they supported the move.
The poll was conducted by Istanbul Economy Research in January, questioning 1,537 people in 12 provinces with computer-assisted telephone interviewing.
Read more at https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkish-public-oppose-troop-deployments-libya-poll-indicates
