EU Calls on Libyan Warlord to Halt Offensive Without Naming Him

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union called on Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar to stop his advance on Tripoli, but -- after a day of objections from France and other member states -- the long-delayed statement doesn’t mention him by name.

“The LNA and all the forces that have moved into Tripoli or its vicinity must withdraw and the humanitarian truces called by the UN must be heeded,” said the statement, using the acronym for Haftar’s Libyan National Army.

While Paris wants the offensive to be halted, it felt the document’s original wording put too much blame on the Benghazi-based general, who’s a French ally, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. French officials presented amendments expressing concern over the involvement of other militias in the fighting, demanding all sides sign up for United Nations peace talks, and calling for the protection of civilians and migrants.

The amendments were presented late Wednesday, and the final statement wasn’t made public until late Thursday. Italy and Sweden also had objections to the original text, a person informed of the drafting said.

Haftar has already ignored calls from foreign governments to stop his advance on Tripoli and is unlikely to be shaken by the EU’s declaration. France and Britain played a key role in the NATO-backed uprising that overthrew Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, but their influence in the North African oil producer has been eclipsed as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the U.A.E., Turkey and Qatar entered the fray, at times backing rival factions.

“The military attack launched by the LNA on Tripoli and the subsequent escalation in and around the capital are endangering civilians, including migrants and refugees, and disrupting the UN-led political process, with the risk of serious consequences for Libya and the wider region, including the terrorist threat,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in the emailed statement on behalf of the 28-nation EU.

Dozens of people have died since last week when Haftar began his campaign, and Libya has again roiled oil markets. France is now in an awkward spot. The French have provided military support for the warlord, who’s subdued militants in southern Libya that threaten former French colonies south of the Sahara. At the same time, President Emmanuel Macron’s administration has hosted two summits to support the UN’s political process -- which Haftar has signed up to while also treating it with disdain.

“Haftar has represented France’s Libya policy, they believed that he represented stability,” said Tarek Megerisi, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations in London. “The French thought they could build the political process around Haftar, which took quite a bit of dissonance given that he’s never hidden what he thought of the whole thing.”

Franco-Italian Spat

France’s involvement in the Libya crisis has at times chafed with Italy. Successive Italian governments have wanted a dominant role because they’ve been most affected by migrant flows and disrupted energy supplies from their former colony. While France and Italy have recently appeared united in public in calling for a political solution, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted on Thursday that he won’t “stand by” if it turns out that France blocked a “European initiative to bring peace to Libya.”

Four EU members -- France, Germany, Britain, and Italy -- signed up to a G-7 foreign ministers’ statement last weekend that expressed “deepest concern about military operations near Tripoli” and urged “all involved parties to immediately halt all military activity and movements” toward the capital. Unlike the EU statement released, the G-7 didn’t mention Haftar specifically.

--With assistance from Jonathan Stearns and Nikos Chrysoloras.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Caroline Alexander, Mark Williams

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