Norland told Haftar to end his offensive on Tripoli

The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland reveilles the government's plans on Haftar's offensive and reiterates the current administration's support for Libya's ongoing progress

BY Libyan Express Apr 25, 2021 - 02:14 Updated: Apr 25, 2021 - 04:55

Norland stated that despite the attempts, Haftar refused to cooperate or responded to initiatives and proposals to end the offensive on Tripoli. [Photo: US Embassy]

Richard Norland, the US ambassador to Libya, revealed that his country attempted to end Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s attack on Tripoli by proposing some ideas and proposals that the Tripoli authorities might negotiate on, particularly with regard to armed formations, state revenue distribution, and the armed and extremist Muslim Brotherhood Group.

“The problem is that “Haftar” turned his back on all of these proposals and initiatives, and the involvement of “Wagner and mercenaries” could not have been stopped were it not for the Turkish intervention in the end,” Norland said, adding that he believed “Haftar” did not have the right to continue with the operation and that the US is relieved that Haftar’s attack on Tripoli failed.

“The modern weapons carried by Wagner mercenaries could contribute to a potential strategic rivalry on NATO’s southern flank,” says the ambassador adding that “after a modest pullout from Jufra and Sirte, they are still in Libya and signs suggest they are in it for the long haul.”

When asked about contact between members of former US President Donald Trump’s administration and “Haftar,” as well as measures taken to designate the “Muslim Brotherhood” as a terrorist organization, the US ambassador said that some people thought Washington was sending conflicting messages.

“From my point of view, our policy was specific, represented in the necessity to end the attack and resort to negotiation, but Tripoli was under the weight of many crises, the most pressing of which is the problem of armed formations, and some perceived this as necessitating military action despite the apparent contradiction in American positions, However, in the last two and a half years, our policy has been more specific and focused on ending Haftar’s offensive.”

The Ambassador added that establishing the basis of legislation for national elections by the designated date of July 1 is a vital step towards progress in Libya.

The US ambassador elaborated that the Parliament is tasked with the massive mission of creating the legislation and constitutional basis for the elections, noting that if progress is not made, the matter could be referred to the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.

Norland reiterated once more that the US Biden administration believes that Libya has a chance to benefit from its current ongoing momentum to achieve real peace and long-lasting progress.

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