Warring Libyan Armed Forces Agree to Unite Army, Acting Commander of LNA Says
18:59 GMT 11.12.2021 (Updated: 21:57 GMT 11.12.2021)
© ABDULLAH DOMA
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CAIRO (Sputnik) - Commanders of confronting armed forces in Libya held a meeting on Saturday in the city of Sirte and agreed on uniting militaries, acting Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Abdulrazzak al-Nazuri said.
The meeting between al-Nazuri and his counterpart from the rival forces, Chief of General Staff of the National Unity Government Mohammed Al-Haddad, has become the first since 2014, when Libya divided into East and West.
"We, the military, agreed to unite the army. Hopefully, it will happen soon without any meddling with our military affairs. We are waiting for the 5+5 Committee to join our meetings. The meetings will be regular without any foreign interference. We are responsible for the defense of our motherland, constitution, and conservation of the army," al-Nazuri said, as broadcast by the Libyan Al-Hadath TV-channel.
The commander added that the military from both sides were "far from political disagreements and political parties."
In fall 2020, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya brokered inclusive political consultations involving Libyan rivals, which contributed to creation of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC), which is a mechanism representing rival forces brought together to negotiate a lasting peace deal.
On December 4, the committee member, Faraj Soussa, told Sputnik that Turkey welcomed the request of the JMC to pull out its forces from Libya given that all foreign mercenaries will withdraw simultaneously.
On December 4, the committee member, Faraj Soussa, told Sputnik that Turkey welcomed the request of the JMC to pull out its forces from Libya given that all foreign mercenaries will withdraw simultaneously.
