Libyan PM: Any agreement on withdrawal of foreign forces welcome

Its prime minister Libya He said he did not know if there was any agreement between Russia and Turkey on the withdrawal of foreign troops from Libya, but said such a move would be welcome.

Speaking to Reuters from New York, Abdel Hamid Dibeba also stated that he is committed to elections on 24 December, but warned that some lawmakers may be reluctant to step down.

Dbeiba, a businessman who was appointed caretaker prime minister in February, said he had not yet decided whether to run for prime minister.

Libya has experienced relative stability in recent months, following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. A UN-sponsored peace process led to a ceasefire last summer, ending clashes between the warring parties and subsequently establishing a unity government.

Following a conference in Berlin last month, German and US officials said Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in Libya, had reached an initial agreement on the gradual withdrawal of foreign fighters they hold in the country.

“I have not heard of this agreement regarding the withdrawal of fighters. “But we welcome any agreement; and we welcome the withdrawal of any forces, fighters or mercenaries that offer any support to any side,” Dbeiba said. “We are talking to all sides about the withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya,” he added.

UN sanctions monitors say thousands of Syrians have fought in Libya, either on the side of national unity government forces – also backed by Turkish troops – or with Russia’s Wagner Group, which supports the Libyan National Army (LNA). of the powerful man of eastern Libya, Caliph Haftar.

Under a ceasefire agreement reached last October, all foreign fighters should have left Libya by January.

Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Poliansky, told the Security Council on Thursday that Moscow supported the “gradual withdrawal of all foreign forces and groups.”

“At the same time, we must ensure that the current balance of power on the ground is not disturbed, because thanks to this balance the situation in Libya remains calm and no threats of armed escalation are emerging,” Polianski added.

Addressing the Security Council, Mr Debai said the continued presence of foreign fighters posed a “real and serious threat to the current political process and also threatens efforts to maintain the ceasefire” and to unify the army in Libya.

The Libyan prime minister told Reuters it would be “very difficult” to unify the Libyan army. The UN special envoy for Libya, Jan Koubis, said on Thursday that the LNA did not allow the DBA to take control of the region.

“Of course we communicate with Haftar, he is a difficult soldier, but we communicate with him. “But things are not easy,” he added.