US urges Haftar to observe a halt of hostilities in Libya over Coronavirus concerns

BY Libyan Express Mar 21, 2020 - 18:17

Kahliafa Haftar. [Photo: Libyan Express]

The United States said in a statement on Saturday that it joins the UN Support Mission in Libya in welcoming the decision of Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord Fayez Al-Sarraj to endorse an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities to allow local authorities to come together in response to the unprecedented public health challenge posed by COVID-19.

The statement by the spokeswoman of the State Department posted on the US embassy in Libya’s Facebook page, urges that Libyan leaders must urgently prioritize the health of the Libyan people, saying it is the only responsible thing to do.

“Now is the time for all actors, including Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Haftar, to suspend military operations, reject toxic foreign interference, and enable health authorities to fight this global pandemic.” The US embassy said.

The statement indicated that the United States has consistently opposed all military escalation and the ongoing transfer of foreign military equipment and personnel into Libya.

“In that spirit, we support UN-facilitated dialogue among Libyan actors in order to achieve a lasting ceasefire and create the conditions for all actors to halt their military activities and return to meaningful negotiations.” The US State Department spokeswoman reiterated.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.