Arab League Warns of Libya War Escalating as Turkey Considers Entry
Arab League Warns of Libya War Escalating as Turkey Considers Entry
(Bloomberg) -- The Arab League on Tuesday warned against military escalation in Libya and said it would ask the United Nations’ chief and other key countries to work to prevent any foreign interference in the North African nation’s affairs.
The league, in an extraordinary session called by Egypt, voiced its “great concern” over the situation in Libya, which it said threatens the security of neighboring countries. In a statement, it also condemned any foreign intervention that facilitates the flow of “terrorists” there.
The statement didn’t mention Turkey by name, but its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is seeking a one-year mandate from parliament to send troops to Libya in support of the United Nations-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. The Libyan premier is locked in a battle with eastern-based rebel commander Khalifa Haftar.
Al-Sarraj is seeking Turkish support to protect the capital, Tripoli.
Turkey’s potential entrance into an arena already cluttered with a variety of militias, mercenary forces and rebels, threatens to deepen a growing proxy war between regional powers, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has repeatedly said that foreign intervention in Libya threatens to deepen a conflict that has national security implications for his country.
To contact the reporter on this story: Abdel Latif Wahba in Cairo at alatifwahba@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Riad Hamade at rhamade@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Tarek El-Tablawy
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