Libya was divided to two after the killing of Muammar al-Gaddafi and now the war has been carried to international level. Forces of Khalifa Haftar who take control of the most Libya territories continues their moving forward despite a number of requests for ceasefire and international contacts. Journalist Özken who follows the events in the region closely reviewed the Libya summit in Berlin, the progression of Haftar and the claims that Turkey send jihadists troops from Idlib to Libya.

Claiming that Turkey has always supported Tripoli government, Özkan says that Ankara wants to make a move and the approval of the permit show this: “Of course, there is no certain failure, but it is not possible to call it a success like the government in Turkey claims that the Berlin Conference was a serious move and this would bring the crisis in Libya the solution or it would be a step towards ceasefire. Regarding this, it is not only for Turkey, but also for the Berlin Conference itself, that there is a failure. To say the other way around, there are certain question marks that the plan may not actually be built on success.”

 

 

‘SUCCESS IS NOT THE AIM’ 

 

Stating that Berlin Conference aims at no solution to be called a success, support the idea that this was all a matter of protocol. Underlying that Berlin Conference was only held in order to make people not say “No ceasefire negotiations or meeting have been held in Libya, diplomacy was not in the agenda. Özkan continues: “One day after the conference, authorities announced that conference was held not only for a permanent solution, but only for a temporal ceasefire. We have seen the same thing in the Moscow meeting when Turkey organized a meeting with Russia including the Libyan local actors. There is sign that international actors in Libya demands ceasefire or peace. Almost all the sides in this summit, want either one of the sides in Libya to win whom they support. Teherefore, there is no incline for a ceasefire for the both sides to sit together around a table. International forces have not presented a willpower regarding this.”

 

 

‘THERE IS A SERIOUS TROUBLE’

 

Özkan also support the idea that the moment Russia and US demands a permanent peace in Libya , Saudi Arabia and Qatar would convince Turkey for that and he adds: “That is why there is a serious trouble regarding the intentions of international actors. US and Russia want Haftar win. Tripoli government is a legitimate government recognized by the United Nations. However, it loses its legitimacy each day. Berlin Conference has opened the path for the recognition of Haftar and by doing so it almost guaranteed which political actors would have the last word. That means, the ones who was not present in Ber

 

 

‘THE CHANCE THAT THE AGREEMENT WOULD BE LAID ASIDE”

 

Stating that Turkey is a lonely actor in Eastern-Mediterranean continues his review as follows: 

“Only Qatar and Tripoli government supports Turkey. Therefore there is a risk that the agreement they have signed with Libya may be jeopardized. If the Tripoli government is taken hold by the forces of Haftar, Turkey’s interests in Eastern-Mediterranean would be damaged. That is why Turkey is so persistent on supporting Tripoli government. And that is for real, if Haftar wins, the chance that the agreement of Turkey with Libya would be laid aside on the shelves gets high. It should be stated that Haftar is way more advantageous than the Tripoli government. However, it could be said that Haftar is not that innocent that he was also mentioned with the extrajudicial executions, murders and he has been cooperating with a number of jihadist groups. So, Haftar is really cruel. He does not recognize the international law. Even more, US demanded an investigation against Haftar. So, Haftar will not stop unless he takes control of Tripoli. That means, unless there is a military power to stop him, he will not stop.”

 

 

‘IT WILL BE A TROUBLE FOR TURKEY’

 

Özkan also reviews the claims that Turkey send jihadist troops from Idlıb to Libya. Özkan says that this will be a trouble for Turkey once proved: “Does Turkey do that, or Tripoli government, or Qatar, or is it conducted through an organizations which was not linked directly to one state? This is important. It is sure that some states are included in this transfer, but as a result, this need proof. In case of proof, it will be a trouble for Turkey. However, if these troops are FSA (Free Syrian Army, ÖSO) this will be a less headache. On the other hands, if they are the groups linked to Al-Qaeda or ISIS, then this trouble would be taken to a next level.”

 

 

MA/Ferhat Çelik