APS : SUNDAY 12 JANUARY 2020
ALGIERS- The protagonists in the Libya crisis observe a ceasefire following Algeria’s intensive efforts for an all-inclusive political solution to the conflict, as recommended by the United Nations.
Libyan parties to the conflict, the chairman of the presidential council of Libya’s Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, and Field Marshal Khalifa
Haftar, have responded to the call for a ceasefire, paving the way for talks on a political settlement of the crisis shaking Libya since the toppling of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
After the announce of Field Marshal Haftar, the Government of National Accord, recognized by the international community, said Sunday it accepted the ceasefire for which many countries have called, including Algeria, a neighboring country of Libya.
As a result part of the efforts to resolve the crisis in Libya, President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who received Saturday in Algiers Republic of Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Congolese Abroad, Jean-Claude Gakosso, received a message from Congo’s president in his capacity as chairman of African Union High-Level Committee on Libya.
The message contains an invitation for President of the Republic to attend the meeting of the Committee on January 25.
“The audience was an opportunity to assess the situation in the sister country Libya,” the presidency of the Republic said in a statement.
The two sides also “exchanged views on the ways and methods to end hostilities and foreign interference and to give a fresh impetus to the negotiation process between the parties to the Libyan conflict, stressing African Union’s role in launching the peace process in that country,” the presidency said in a statement.
Algiers has increased, over the past few days, diplomatic initiatives to reach a ceasefire in Libya as the situation is worsening threatening of more tragic consequences.
Stressing that it is at equal distance from both parties, Algiers rejected any foreign interference in Libya, calling on “Libyan protagonists to return to the table of negotiations.”
Last Monday, while receiving the chairman of the presidential council of Libya’s Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, President Tebboune reiterated “Algeria’s commitment to preserving the region from any foreign interference” while Turkey had decided to deploy troops in Libya in support of the Government of National Accord.
At the end of the meeting, Algeria had called on the international community, and mainly the Security Council, to “take its responsibilities” and “impose a ceasefire.”
Algeria’s call was followed Wednesday by Turkey and Russia, whose respective leaders, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, had acted in the same way as the Algerian diplomacy by calling for a ceasefire.
Speeding its diplomatic efforts, Algeria had received Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu, who came to Algeria in an official visit mainly focused on Libya.
Discussions concentrated on “the means to prevent (…) the worsening of the situation” in Libya.
Algeria’s diplomatic activities, centered on the settlement of Libya crisis, continued Thursday with the arrival, in Algiers, of Egyptian and Italian foreign ministers, respectively Sameh Choukri and Luigi Di Maio.
