A high-ranking Turkish delegation visited the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Wednesday after Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), has recently withdrawn from the city and announced willingness to hold talks with the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.
The 27-member Turkish delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. He was accompanied by Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chair Hakan Fidan.
Sarraj's media office issued a statement saying the delegation discussed recent Libyan developments and international efforts to resolve the current crisis, noting that the meeting also dealt with the return of Turkish companies to operate in Libya.
The meeting also addressed cooperation and investment as well and ways to improve development in Libya through partnership between the public and private sectors.
The statement added that the attendees discussed the implementation of the security and military memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries last November.
Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq, who met the delegation in the presence of the GNA’s Finance Minister, said discussions focused on relations between the two countries and their development.
Prior to the delegation’s visit, Turkish power companies confirmed willingness to resume operations on the construction of electric stations in the areas controlled by the GNA in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, UK Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa Affairs James Cleverly confirmed his country’s strong condemnation of the mass graves discovered in Tarhouna city.
During a phone call with Sarraj, the British official affirmed UK’s full support for the investigations conducted by the GNA on these “horrifying violations.”
Cleverly asserted that there is no alternative to the political solution in Libya.
In turn, US Ambassador Richard Norland said he was horrified at "alleged" human rights abuses that have been perpetrated without any consequences between warring parties in Libya.
Speaking with GNA’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala, Norland expressed his deep concern over the mass graves in Tarhouna, the use of mines and booby-traps in civilian neighborhoods in southern Tripoli, and at the recent massacre of 30 migrants in Mizda.
He welcomed GNA’s call for the formation of an international mission to document the violations in Libya and identify perpetrators from all parties to the conflict.
In addition, the African Union’s (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ismail Sharqi, stressed the AU’s full support to the GNA, as the legitimate government.
During his conversation with Siyala, Sharqi expressed the Union's willingness to provide assistance to the government on the issues of mines and mass graves, which he described as dangerous.
The LNA denied its responsibility for any of these killings, calling on the UN to conduct an investigation into the violations committed by forces loyal to the GNA.
In response, GNA’s Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamloum, expressed his shock at the scale of the violations and the number of deaths in Tarhouna, describing it as the “tip of the iceberg,” noting that other graves could be found.
