Libyan Prime Minister Al-Serraj asked the US for protection, Trump rejected

BY Libyan Express Dec 07, 2017 - 11:40 Updated: Dec 07, 2017 - 12:37

Libyan Prime Minister Al-Serraj meeting with the US President Donald Trump the White House (Photo: GNA Media Office)

The Prime Minister of the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez Al-Serraj has requested that The US President Donald Trump to provide a more active US role, including a guarantee of personal security for himself and his government, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The Guardian reported a US source familiar with the talks between Trump and Al-Serraj that the requests of the Libyan PM were rebuffed.

“They wanted a military guarantee from the United States that we would basically defend their block in Tripoli,” the source added.

He added that there were deep misgivings about corruption in the Libyan unity government “GNA” and the human rights record of the militias protecting it.

“Is the US going to use military force against actors against the UN plan in Libya? Absolutely not.” The source told The Guardian.

However, the fact Trump met Sarraj at all – and has held at least two meetings on the situation there in the past month – is itself being seen as a step forward as it marks the first time he has taken a direct interest in the country since taking the presidency, according to the British newspaper.

But the UN-brokered agreement signed in December 2015 has failed to bind Libya’s divisions. It created a Presidential Council in Tripoli that was supposed to form a unity government, and the House of Representatives in eastern Libya was supposed to approve the unity government, but it has yet to do so.

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