The Deputy Prime Minister of the Libyan Interim Government, Abdel-Salam Al-Badri, stated that, “The Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) meetings in Ghadames will bear fruits, despite challenging items.”
In press statements, Al-Badri stressed that all external interference in Libya must be stopped.
He added that the expulsion of Turkish forces, and their affiliated Syrian mercenaries, required serious international support, rather than just a decision by the JMC meeting participants. Nonetheless, he maintained that Libyans themselves are capable of solving their differences, if negative foreign parties are removed.
Al-Badri confirmed that the Libyan crisis will be solved only by Libyans, as they are fully aware of the seriousness of the current situation. “I am confident that the JMC meeting in Libya will always have positive results,” he added.
He warned that the countries that support terrorism still have positions under their control in Libya. He also stressed that the Libyan people have no ideological, ethnic, or religious disagreement, “but there are those who seek to destabilize this country, either for exploiting its wealth, or with the aim of destabilizing some neighbouring countries of Libya.”
On Wednesday, the two parties wrapped up military talks, with twelve recommendations reached. These include a call for the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution to implement a ceasefire deal.
Discussions centred on mechanisms for carrying out the agreement, including the establishment of sub-committees. Monitoring and verification mechanisms, including a role for international observers, were also discussed during the meeting.
The recommendations also outlined the formation of a military sub-committee, to supervise the return of forces to their bases, as well as the withdrawal of foreign troops from contact lines.
The two-day talks in the oasis town of Ghadames concluded late Tuesday. These were the first face-to-face negotiations inside Libya, since before last year’s conflict.