Erdogan says Libya crisis cannot be solved by military means

LONDON - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Libyan crisis could not be solved by "military means" despite sending his troops and mercenaries to war-torn Libya.

Erdogan held talks Sunday with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers.

Algeria, which shares a 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) border with Libya, is trying to mediate a political settlement to the conflict gripping its neighbour that threatens regional stability.

"We have said from the beginning that the Libyan crisis would not be resolved through military means," Erdogan told reporters after meeting Tebboune.

"We are in intense negotiations with the countries of the region and with international actors to secure the ceasefire and facilitate the return to political dialogue in Libya," Erdogan told reporters.

The visit comes after Erdogan accused Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar of violating the truce between his troops and forces loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

Play

Loaded: 0%

Progress: 0%

0:00

Fullscreen

00:00

Mute

Fighting has abated in the past weeks but picked up at the weekend at the frontline in southern Tripoli, where artillery fire could be heard, a Reuters reporter said. More than 150,000 people have been displaced by the months of fighting.

Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) faction aims to capture the capital, Tripoli, through the backing of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russian mercenaries and African troops.

Turkey sent military advisers and hundreds of pro-Turkish mercenaries to help GNA forces counter Haftar’s assault on Tripoli.

Analysts warn that Turkey's deployment of troops risks plunging Libya deeper into a Syrian-style proxy war between regional powers.

Libya and Turkey signed security and maritime agreements in November last year, angering Mediterranean countries including Greece and Cyprus who also seek to exploit energy resources in the region.

Erdogan told German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a televised speech January 24 in Istanbul that “if calm is not established as soon as possible, the atmosphere of chaos in Libya will affect all the Mediterranean basin.”

Erdogan accused Haftar of failing to honour his verbal commitments to stop the fighting in Libya. “He accepted [the ceasefire] but he didn’t sign,” Erdogan said.

Merkel disagreed, saying that all participants of the Berlin conference had accepted a 55-point peace plan. She said Haftar was to name five representatives of his side for a military commission with the GNA under UN auspices.

Algiers, for its part, has taken on a role as mediator and last week hosted a meeting of Libya’s neighbours that rejected “any foreign interference” and called for a negotiated settlement.