Posted on 07/23/2020 9:04:42 AM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
Turkey and Russia agreed on Wednesday to press for a ceasefire in war-ravaged Libya, but Ankara said the leader of the eastern forces was illegitimate and must withdraw from key positions for a credible truce to take hold.
Moscow and Ankara are among the main power brokers in Libya's conflict while supporting opposing sides. Russia backs the eastern-based forces of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, while Turkey has helped the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) repel Haftar's attempt to storm the capital.
"We've just reached an agreement with Russia to work on a credible and sustainable ceasefire in Libya," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top security adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, told Reuters news agency.
Kalin said any deal must be based on a return to what he said were the Libyan front lines in 2015, requiring Haftar's forces to pull back from the strategic city of Sirte - gateway to Libya's eastern oilfields - and al-Jufra, an airbase near the centre of the country.
"For the ceasefire to be sustainable, Jufra and Sirte should be evacuated by Haftar's forces," Kalin said.
(Excerpt) Read more at aljazeera.com ...
Turkey and Russia agreed on Wednesday to press for a ceasefire in war-ravaged Libya, but Ankara said the leader of the eastern forces was illegitimate and must withdraw from key positions for a credible truce to take hold. Moscow and Ankara are among the main power brokers in Libya's conflict while supporting opposing sides.
"Main power brokers in Libya" -- that's just adorable.
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