U.S. Ambassador deplores Libya's violation of sovereignty by Russian mercenaries

17 Mai 2020

Tripoli, Libya, May 17 (Infosplusgabon) – United States Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland has deplored the presence of nearly 2,000 Wagner mercenaries (Russian Security Group) in Libya.

In an interview with the London newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, published Saturday, Norland also declared that the presence of the mercenaries and the “sophisticated military equipment they possess is no respect for Libya's sovereignty or territorial integrity."

"We believe that Russia is in a position to pursue its legitimate interests by more ordinary means.”

On May 6, a secret United Nations report revealed the deployment of the Russian Private Military Group Wagner of about 1,200 personnel in Libya to support the forces of the Libyan national army led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

The 57-page report, prepared by independent sanctions monitors, was submitted to the UN Security Council's Libya Sanctions Committee.

It reveals that the Russian contracting company deployed troops in specialized military missions, including snipers.

Last February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Russia of "managing the Libyan conflict at the highest level" through its management of the private security company –Wagner- in Libya, which, he said "supports" the Haftar forces.

He added that the Russian defence minister and the chief of staff were leading the group.

Norland said that "the United States wants to see an end to the attack by Libyan Arab forces against Tripoli, the conclusion of a permanent cease-fire and a peaceful and negotiated solution to the conflict".

Norland acknowledged that "Khalifa Haftar had influence", expressing his conviction that "Haftar is smart enough to know that his influence will erode with each day of continued confrontation", in reference to the war in the capital, Tripoli.

He stressed that Haftar "risks losing all political legitimacy unless the East is allowed to negotiate", adding that "the countries that support him have begun to realize that their objectives in the fight against terrorism have been undermined by the attack by the Libyan Arab armed forces".

The US ambassador, on the other hand, said that "the militias in the West and East are only strengthened by conflict", stressing: "We have informed many Libyan leaders that the militias will be dismantled once the war is over.”

He considered that "the transition to a stable democratic political system in Libya is not only a realistic goal, but an unavoidable necessity".

"This is the 21st century, and I do not think the Libyan people will accept anything less than full democracy," he added.

The American diplomat quoted a Libyan doctor as saying: "After 42 years of darkness, Libyans deserve to see the sun".

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/BVC/GABON2020

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