UN rejects Haftar’s claim to lead Libya

Skepticism has been expressed in diplomatic circles over a claim by the Libyan National Army, a militia based in the country’s east, that it had taken control of war-torn Libya.

Officials from a number of countries and international organizations, in pouring cold water on the militia’s assertion, have instead renewed their calls for a political resolution of the civil war.

LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced in a televised speech on Monday that his forces had taken control of the Libyan government and that he was canceling a United Nations-sponsored political agreement. In doing so, he claimed he had the “people’s authorization” to govern the country.

The statement has drawn fire from the UN and some of the countries that have responded to it.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN is concerned by the ongoing conflict in Libya, adding that any political change must take place through democratic means.

The secretary-general’s Acting Special Representative, Stephanie Turco Williams, has been in touch with leaders of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, or GNA, in Tripoli, as well as the head of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives and other leaders, Dujarric said.

“I think (Williams’) message is clear, that the Libyan political agreement and the institutions that emanate from it remain the sole internationally recognized framework of governance in Libya, and that’s very much in line with the Security Council resolutions, and that any political change must take place through democratic means, not through any military means,” Dujarric said.

In 2015, Libyan rival parties signed the political agreement under which the UN-backed GNA was appointed, in an attempt to end the political divisions in the country. Instead, governments in the east and the west have been competing for dominance.

Haftar’s forces have been leading a military campaign in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the rival government.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia would not endorse Haftar’s statement on a transfer of power in Libya to the LNA. “We do not approve the statement that Field Marshal Haftar will now single-handedly decide how the Libyan people should live,” he said.

In another report, Russia described Monday’s power grab by Haftar as “surprising”, state news agency RIA quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry source as saying.

Without naming Haftar, French Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Olivier Gauvin said unilateral action won’t solve the conflict in Libya.

“The solution to the Libyan conflict can only go through dialogue between the parties under the aegis of the UN, not through unilateral decisions,” Gauvin said.