No Result
View All Result
Sunday, July 13, 2025
23 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Sat
24 ° Sun
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

Hafter says Moscow wants no Libyan bases and spurns UN arms embargo breach

byNigel Ash
April 14, 2017
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A

By Jamie Prentis.

Khalifa Hafter (file photo)
Khalifa Hafter says Moscow has not asked about Libyan bases (file photo)

Tunis, 13 April 2017:

Khalifa Hafter has insisted that Moscow has not talked to him about military bases in Libya and has said that it cannot supply arms because of the UN embargo.

The House of Representative’s general commander of the armed forces, in an interview with the Moscow-based news agency Sputnik, said that Russia had no need of any Libyan bases because of its “giant fleet” in the Mediterranean.

He said that there had indeed been discussions about the resumption of arms purchases from Russia. Under Qaddafi, it been Libya’s principle weapons supplier. However, he had been told in Moscow that the supply could not resume until after the lifting of the UN embargo.

RELATED POSTS

Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund signs contract with Turkey’s Ankamenia for maintenance of Benghazi University’s medical colleges

Aldabaiba rejects continued spending by eastern Libya government outside the legal budget

Hafter said that therefore the Libyan National Army (LNA) would not hesitate to turn to any country that was ready to arm it. “This is logical. No one should deny it us.  We do not want to arm ourselves for aggressive purposes but only to defend and stabilise our country.”

Hafter said he agreed with the principle that the armed forces should come under civilian control.  However, he added, just as the former the General National Congress had exerted control over the armed forces, so its successor, the House of Representatives (HoR), now exercised supreme command over him and the LNA.

Hafter insisted the HoR had made Ageela Saleh commander-in-chief of the armed forces and it also appointed him, Hafter, to run the military. “So how can anybody say that the the High Command refuses to work under civilian authority?”

He said the Presidency Council in Tripoli had proved itself incapable of exerting any authority over the militias and instead seemed intent on fighting him.

Despite the recent clashes between units nominally part of the LNA and the Misratan-based Third Force in the south of the country, Hafter insisted that there could not possibly be any military fighting between the LNA and the “national forces controlling the western region”.

He explained: “There can be no clash between the national army and any national forces, only a clash with terrorist organisations that believe exclusively in the logic of force.”

He added: “We seek to include all the regular forces under the banner of legitimacy and outside the circle of militias, in accordance with criteria determined by the law and imposed by the supreme interest of the country without any foreign interference .”

Hafter said that the LNA wanted to contribute to the political process provided it did not harm the interests of the Libyan people.

He said it would be “a waste of tine and effort to work outside the popular will”.

Sputnik taxed Hafter with the state of his relations with Egypt.  The latter has made little effort to conceal its frustration, if not anger, at Hafter’s rejection of its mediation efforts and his refusal to meet Faiez Serraj in Cairo two months ago.

Hafter’s response to to Russian interviewer was that Libya and Egypt shared the same interests which were to eliminate terrorism and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Hafter also apparently reversed his previous refusal to meet Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi, who is part of the tripartite thrust among Libya’s eastern and western neighbours to broker some sort of political agreement in tandem with the UN, the Arab League and the African Union.

Tags: featuredHafterLibyaSputnik

Related Posts

Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Attorney General provides update on investigation of incidents resulting from Tripoli 2025 armed clashes and demonstrations

July 11, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Aldabaiba seeking long term partnership not interim solutions on combatting irregular migration

July 10, 2025
Acting Interior Minister Trabelsi taking steps to counter forged ID numbers and passports
Libya

There are 4 million irregular migrants in Libya: Interior Minister Trabelsi

July 10, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Aldabaiba: Militias have become criminal gangs and a state within the state

July 9, 2025
Libya Herald exclusive: Responding to the prime minister’s call yesterday to the private sector and banks to do more, leading businessman Husni Bey responds
Business

Op-Ed: Reputational Damage Is Worse Than Losing Money

July 2, 2025
Libyan Russian Economic Forum starts in St. Petersburg
Libya

Libyan Russian Economic Forum starts in St. Petersburg

June 27, 2025
Next Post

CBL Governor Saddek Elkaber promises to tell all in press conference

Over half million set applications record for 2017 Haj

ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • Benghazi port receives 398 containers of mixed goods, 25,000 tons of wheat, 28,500 tons of barley and 6,000 tons of cement

    All imports into Libya must be paid for through official bank transactions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • BP to reopen office in Libya, Shell discusses prospects for cooperation in oil field development‎

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund signs contract with Turkey’s Ankamenia for maintenance of Benghazi University’s medical colleges

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libyan olive oils win gold at Anatolian, Berlin and Japan 2025 international olive oil competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Aldabaiba opens First Phase of Tripoli’s Third Ring Road

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

CBL workshop on ‎”The Role of the Banking Sector in Revitalising Stalled Housing Projects and Urban Development”‎ to be held in Tripoli on 13 July

Attorney General provides update on investigation of incidents resulting from Tripoli 2025 armed clashes and demonstrations

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Fill the forms below to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.