Libya’s War Escalates as the Stakes Get Higher
The LNA’s decision to target the az Zawiya Oil installation may be seen as a proxy blow to Turkey’s interests in Libya, because Turkey purchases oil for as low as $10 per barrel from such terminals.
Libya’s Government of National Accord has little time to sort out the mess it is in, with the Libyan National Army making some progress in Tripoli’s suburbs. LNA warlord Haftar’s strike on the Zawiya Oil installation near al Harsha in west Tripolitania on the 27th of December resulted in drastic damage to the facility causing Libya’s National Oil Company to warn about potential evacuation of offices nearby.
The LNA’s decision to target the az Zawiya Oil installation may be seen as a proxy blow to Turkey’s interests in Libya, because Turkey purchases oil for as low as $10 per barrel from such terminals. Warlord Haftar does not suffer, because Cyrenaica oil is largely produced and processed in eastern Libya.
Read more at https://theduran.com/libyas-war-escalates-as-the-stakes-get-higher/
Turkey’s parliament approves military deployment to Libya
Erdogan is eager to support UN-recognised gov’t in Tripoli as it faces renewed threat from military commander Haftar.
Jan.2, 2019
Turkey‘s parliament has approved a bill to deploy troops to Libya in support of the embattled United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), paving the way for increased military cooperation despite criticism from opposition legislators.
Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop said on Thursday that the legislation passed with a 325-184 vote.
Read more at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/turkey-parliament-approves-military-deployment-libya-200102113511422.html
Greece, Israel, Cyprus, move to build East Med gas pipeline
East Med would stretch some 1,900km from gas fields in Israel and Cyprus to the east Mediterranean to Italy via Greece.
by John Psaropoulos
Jan. 2, 2019
The governments of Greece, Israel and Cyprus have signed an agreement to build a pipeline that could supply Europe with 4 percent of its annual gas needs by the middle of the decade.
“Today we did not simply sign a beneficial agreement. We sealed our resolve for a strategic connection between our countries in a region that now more than ever needs growth and security,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday.
Read more at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/greece-israel-cyprus-move-build-east-med-gas-pipeline-200102181235607.html
Foreign interference could ‘complicate’ Libya, Turkey’s Erdogan is told… by Trump
2 Jan, 2020
None other than US President Donald Trump has stood up against foreign intervention in Libya, warning his NATO ally Turkey that its planned military deployment could make the situation in the North African country worse.
During the phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, “President Trump pointed out that foreign interference is complicating the situation in Libya,” the White House said in a statement.
No further details were given, but the call took place just after the Turkish legislature voted 325 to 184 to approve sending troops to the North African country, in order to prop up Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and his Government of National Accord (GNA).
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/477345-trump-erdogan-troops-libya/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email
Imperial delusion: Turkey sending troops to Libya would be no solution to the chaos caused by the 2011 NATO intervention
2 Jan, 2020
With an emergency convening of Turkey’s parliament, the path has been cleared for Ankara to send troops to Libya – but such a move may be less about ending the bloody civil conflict there and more about Turkey’s power ambitions.
The new year barely begun, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fast-tracked a motion to approve the potential deployment of Turkish troops, which passed handily in parliament on Thursday.
Erdogan’s move follows a pattern of recent muscle-flexing and is an obvious play to force Ankara into a more influential position. This is a gamble that could backfire.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/477343-turkey-libya-erdogan-imperial-ambitions/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email
