Member of the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) Ali Al-Takbali called for the withdrawal of Turkey and its Syrian mercenaries from Libya. He said this was a condition to achieve the circumstances for fair elections and a political solution to the crisis.
In media statements on Wednesday, Al-Takbali condemned calls for a political solution without providing a solution to the security issues on the ground.
“This is beautiful talk that we have heard before,” he said. “We want a political solution and you know that the army and parliament have accepted all the initiatives. We sat with Al-Sarraj and when he returned to Tripoli, he changed his mind in the presence of the militias.”
“In the presence of Turkey, he has no opinion at all, as he cannot even leave Tripoli, so how can he sit with the HoR or with the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA)?” Al-Takbali said.
The Libyan parliamentarian argued that talking about a political solution must be followed by concrete steps, not just empty words.
Al-Takbali also praised Algeria’s talk of a political solution: “Algeria talked about something positive for the first time and said that the GNA’s mandate has ended and that it should be replaced through elections”.
“I say that elections cannot take place without the exit of the Turks, and without the exit of those forces that are used by the Turks,” he added.
He argued that Syrian fighters deployed to Libya by Turkey have been naturalized through “manipulations of national identity numbers and passports.”
Al-Takbali stressed that “when the Turks and those with them leave and the country settles and we get rid of the militias, then we can talk about elections and a political solution”. He noted that Ankara’s talk about Libya differed due to the recent Egyptian threats of intervention.