'We refuse any deal that would involve Haftar,' Libya’s defence minister tells FRANCE 24

In an interview from the Libyan capital Tripoli, Salah al-Namroush, the defence minister of Libya’s government of national accord (GNA), told FRANCE 24 that the forces of Haftar were violating a ceasefire agreed upon by both camps in October. He said that while the GNA forces were respecting the agreement, Haftar, supported by mercenaries, had launched attacks in the south of the country. He warned that the GNA was ready to pull out of a military commission set up by the UN to monitor the ceasefire if those violations were to continue.

He expressed serious doubts that elections could be held in December 2021 as agreed recently by a Libyan national dialogue forum under the aegis of the UN. And he vividly ruled out a possibility that Haftar would retain a role in a future political agreement, branding him a war criminal who should be in jail. He warned that if the ceasefire broke down, the GNA was ready to engage in a military battle against Haftar.  

He said it was a “shame” that France had supported Haftar for years and expressed hope that it would change. He brushed aside France’s criticism of Turkey’s role in Libya, arguing that the strategic partnership between the GNA and Ankara is clear and public, while the arrangements between Haftar and his foreign backers are made in secret.

He went on to say that the GNA was ready to engage in talks with the other side in order to forge a political solution, on the condition that Haftar is sidelined once and for all.