Libyan military advances get European backing
Rome, Berlin and Paris support ceasefire in Libya.
Libya's Fayez al-Sarraj | Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images
By Rym Momtaz
May 10, 2019 9:16 pm CET
PARIS — Fayez al-Sarraj came to Europe to shore up support for his Libyan government. He'll have left disappointed.
Al-Sarraj, who heads the U.N-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), made a three-day visit to Rome, Berlin, Paris and London this week. But instead of the unequivocal condemnation of the military offensive his rival Khalifa Haftar launched against the capital, Tripoli, that he was seeking, Al-Sarraj was told the best international diplomacy could offer is a ceasefire that would not require Haftar to withdraw.
The strongest line came from French President Emmanuel Macron, who "encouraged an unconditional ceasefire" based on a line delineated "under international supervision," according to an Elysée readout of his meeting with Al-Sarraj.
Implicit in that position is an acceptance of the military advances Haftar has achieved since launching his attack in defiance of the struggling U.N-mediated peace process, a notable development in favor of the strongman from eastern Libya. The other European capitals simply called for a ceasefire. The ongoing clashes have killed more than 440 people and displaced nearly 60,000 since they began on April 4, according to the WHO.
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"[The French] want to consolidate the gains made by Haftar in recent months, so that his failing attempt to take Tripoli gives him at least a bargaining chip," said Issandr El Amrani, a Libya expert.
The GNA has accused France of supporting Haftar, with the interior minister going as far as calling for cutting ties with Paris.
A high-level French diplomat admitted it is "unrealistic" to ask Haftar to withdraw and return to his previous positions.
"The Elysée is not alone in this position … amongst European capitals there seems to be a common thread to demand a ceasefire without withdrawal," said Claudia Gazzini, a Libya analyst at the International Crisis Group.
Even Italy, which has been more sympathetic toward Al-Sarraj's government, and has been at odds with France on Libya, seems to have accepted this new line, Gazzini said, in the wake of a change in position by the United States.
The U.S. drastically changed course on Libya in April following a visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a longtime supporter of Haftar.
On April 7, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for "the immediate halt" of Haftar's military offensive, and the "return to the status quo ante positions." Yet according to a White House readout of a call between Donald Trump and Haftar on April 15, the president "recognized [Haftar's] significant role in fighting terrorism." Three days later, the U.S. indicated it could not support a British draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council calling for a ceasefire.
Fighters loyal to the GNA clash with Khalifa Haftar's forces | Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was the only European leader to allude to Haftar during his rival's European tour, saying in a tweet that "it takes two to tango" in order to reach a ceasefire and return to U.N.-led negotiations.
French tensions
So far the French position on Libya has been ambiguous at best, both supporting the GNA and also refraining from openly condemning Haftar.
The GNA has accused France of supporting Haftar, with the interior minister going as far as calling for cutting ties with Paris as a retaliatory measure. Protesters in Tripoli have carried anti-Macron signs, lumping him together with leaders of Egypt and the UAE, who are said to be providing Haftar with military backing.
French authorities reject the accusation, pointing to French support for the Tripoli-based government in the form of "capacity-building, training of the presidential guard, the army and the coast guard," according to the high-level diplomat.
But France also considers Haftar a counterterrorism partner, one who has both fought extremist groups and migrant smugglers, a major issue for Europe in Libya. The French diplomat admitted that France "partly shares Haftar's assessment [that] there are terrorist militias [in the GNA territory] that need to be eliminated" to bring back stability. Yet many see this as a pretext for Haftar to seize power.
Al-Sarraj has now turned his attention to the U.S. in an attempt to gain the administration's support.
"Haftar doesn't want to power-share, he wants total control over Libya," according to Anas El Gomaty, director of the Sadeq Institute, a think tank.
Nevertheless, frustration has been building with Al-Sarraj's government's inability to make good on organizing elections and reining in the motley collection of extremist groups that have proliferated in the country.
"There is a general frustration in Western capitals [with] the GNA … in the case of Paris there is more frustration and more willingness to justify what Haftar did on the basis of the shortcomings of the GNA," said Gazzini.
The French have not suggested an enforcement mechanism for the proposed new ceasefire line, and the U.N. has not publicly commented on the proposal. The Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Libya Ghassan Salamé has not responded to requests for comment. He will attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss ways the EU can support his work in Libya.
Al-Sarraj has now turned his attention to the U.S. in an attempt to gain the administration's support. The GNA hired Washington lobby firm Mercury Public Affairs on April 26.
It remains to be seen whether Haftar will agree to the new ceasefire proposal. He rejected a U.N-suggested weeklong truce at the beginning of Ramadan, and when he visited Cairo the day after Al-Sarraj's visit to the Elysée, neither he nor Sisi commented on the ceasefire, instead sticking to their usual line about fighting terrorism.
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