President: Giampaolo Pioli    |    Editor in Chief: Stefano Vaccara
English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro 

  • Login
VNY La Voce di New York

The First Italian English Digital Daily Newspaper in the US

  • English Edition
  • Letters
  • New York
  • U.N.
  • News
  • People
  • Arts
  • Lifestyles
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Italian Edition
No Result
View All Result
VNY
  • English Edition
  • Letters
  • New York
  • U.N.
  • News
  • People
  • Arts
  • Lifestyles
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Italian Edition
No Result
View All Result
VNY La Voce di New York
No Result
View All Result
in
News
April 5, 2019
in
News
April 5, 2019
0

Now Guterres Fears Impending Libyan Hell After Meeting a Defiant Haftar

Libya's crisis intensifies with General Haftar's troops descending on Tripoli while Guterres conferred with him

Emma BassbyEmma Bass
Now Guterres Fears Impending Libyan Hell After Meeting a Defiant Haftar

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after meeting with General Khalifa Haftar on April 5, 2019. (Photo UN/Mohammed Omar Omar)

Time: 4 mins read

On April 4th, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres went to Tripoli, Libya to speak with the country’s senior government officials about the implementation plan of a “Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political solution” to the years of political turmoil and human rights crises. This plan would hopefully materialize at the Libyan National Conference, scheduled to take place later on in 2019. Guterres’ presence there on Thursday was to promote, on behalf of the UN, “the welfare of the Libyan people, the peace in the country, and the possibility to live in a normal democracy and to take profit of the enormous wealth of the country to benefit its citizens.”

However, on April 5th, Guterres flew to Benghazi, Libya’s second city, with UN envoy Ghassan Salamé in an attempt to prevent military action by Commander Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) and American citizen, against the current UN-recognized government of Fayez al-Sarraj. It does not appear that Guterres is confident that diplomatic and political solutions in the country are now possible after his meeting with Haftar: “I leave Libya with a heavy heart and [am] deeply concerned. I still hope it is possible to avoid a bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli,” he tweeted. How did a flip in attitudes and diplomatic proceedings happen so quickly?

German Ambassador to the UN Christoph Heusgen and President of the Security Council for April, spoke to the press later on Friday, stating: “The members of the Security Council express deep concern for the military activity in Tripoli, which risks Libyan stability and prospects for UN mediation and a concrete political solution to the crisis.” Heusgen assured the press that UN representatives are taking a rigid position against Haftar’s military activity: “They called on LNA forces to halt all military movements… They express their intention to hold those…who are responsible for further conflict accountable.” In his final statement on the cohesion of UN Security Council member states, he said, “They reiterated their full support for the Secretary-General and… called on all parties to resume dialogue and deliver on their commitments to engage constructively with the UN political process.”

German Ambassador and UNSC President for the month of April, Christoph Heusgen, answering journalists’ questions after the Security Council meeting on Libya (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)

However, in a response to La Voce’s question about whether Heusgen believes that Haftar would do all of this with no backing at all from any other country, the German Ambassador replied, in a truly diplomatic manner, “I don’t want to and cannot speculate with regard to Haftar.” Who’s backing Haftar in his bold move?

In the past, sources speculated that France, along with Russia and Egypt, was one of the major backers of General Haftar. Now, things seem different, and the French Ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre, delivered those remarks to the press before the closed-door UNSC briefing with Salamé took place, stating: “We fully support the [Secretary-General] and Ghassan Salamé’s efforts and those of the United Nations more broadly to put an end to the current deadlock and to initiate a strong political momentum. We therefore call on all Libyan actors to work constructively with the UN and to participate in the national conference planned for April 14-16. This conference should be an important milestone in the political process, which is the only way out of the crisis.”

An appearance of unity toward the crisis was also displayed by the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in France, who released a statement on western Libya’s current situation:

“We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the EU High Representative, gathered in Saint-Malo on April 5th, express our deepest concern about military operations near Tripoli, Libya. We urge all involved parties to immediately halt all military activity and movements toward Tripoli, which are hindering prospects for the UN-led political process, putting civilians in danger, and prolonging the suffering of the Libyan people.

We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict. We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve.

We reiterate our full and united support to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Special Representative of the Secretary General Ghassan Salamé as the UN seeks to help Libyans overcome Libya’s political stalemate, and help Libyans chart a path toward credible and peaceful elections as soon as possible, as agreed by the Libyan parties in Paris in May 2018 and in Palermo in November 2018. We further call on all Libyans to constructively support the UN led process and the international community to demonstrate full unity and cohesion towards the shared objective of the sustainable stabilisation of Libya.”

General Khalifa Haftar (Photo from Wikipedia / Magharebia)

So, it seems from the public statements as though the Western countries are finally collaborating cohesively now, after years of what looked like competition with one another for the upper hand in affairs related to the final stabilization of Libya (the country does have one of the richest supplies of natural resources in the world, after all). But is it perhaps too late for this united front? Haftar ordered his troops to march to Tripoli even with the UN Secretary-General literally at his door, and it currently appears as though Libya will enter another bloody civil war. There’s still the question of who has supported him in this decision, as it is very difficult to imagine that Haftar could have accomplished it alone, but also of how there could have been this oversight amongst UN representatives regarding his intentions and then sending Guterres to Libya, in the middle of hell–did they really not see this coming?

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Emma Bass

Emma Bass

DELLO STESSO AUTORE

“Deliriously” Leafing Through Naples, City of Paradoxes and Enigmas

“Deliriously” Leafing Through Naples, City of Paradoxes and Enigmas

byEmma Bass
World Press Freedom Day at the United Nations: “Post-Truth is Pre-Fascism”

World Press Freedom Day at the United Nations: “Post-Truth is Pre-Fascism”

byEmma Bass

A PROPOSITO DI...

Tags: Khalifa HaftarLibya
Previous Post

Sidewalk Diaries, le immagini dei passanti di Harlem in mostra a Milano

Next Post

New York tra strada, libri e vita: quando leggere è antidoto alla morte

Discussion about this post

DELLO STESSO AUTORE

“Eye-Centricity” at the Calandra Institute Shows Seeing Really is Believing

“Eye-Centricity” at the Calandra Institute Shows Seeing Really is Believing

byEmma Bass
Can Profit and Social Responsibility Really Go Hand-in-Hand?

Can Profit and Social Responsibility Really Go Hand-in-Hand?

byEmma Bass

Latest News

Trump non risponde alle domande della procura e invoca il Quinto emendamento

Trump non risponde alle domande della procura e invoca il Quinto emendamento

byMassimo Jaus
La Trafila: da Torre del Greco al Gowanus Canal

La Trafila: da Torre del Greco al Gowanus Canal

byFrancesca Magnani

New York

Trump non risponde alle domande della procura e invoca il Quinto emendamento

Trump non risponde alle domande della procura e invoca il Quinto emendamento

byMassimo Jaus
La Trafila: da Torre del Greco al Gowanus Canal

La Trafila: da Torre del Greco al Gowanus Canal

byFrancesca Magnani

Italiany

Torna in Sardegna il festival “MusaMadre”: richiamo della cultura e delle radici

Torna in Sardegna il festival “MusaMadre”: richiamo della cultura e delle radici

byManuela Caracciolo
“Senato&Cultura”: premiati gli imprenditori che rendono grande l’Italia nel mondo

“Senato&Cultura”: premiati gli imprenditori che rendono grande l’Italia nel mondo

byNicola Corradi
Next Post
New York tra strada, libri e vita: quando leggere è antidoto alla morte

New York tra strada, libri e vita: quando leggere è antidoto alla morte

La Voce di New York

President: Giampaolo Pioli   |   Editor in Chief: Stefano Vaccara   |   English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro

  • New York
    • Eventi
  • Onu
  • News
    • Primo Piano
    • Politica
    • Voto Estero
    • Economia
    • First Amendment
  • People
    • Expat
  • Arts
    • Arte e Design
    • Spettacolo
    • Musica
    • Libri
    • Lingua Italiana
  • Lifestyles
    • Fashion
    • Scienza e Salute
    • Sport
    • Religioni
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
    • Italia
  • Mediterraneo
  • English
  • Search/Archive
  • About us
    • Editorial Staff
    • President
    • Administration
    • Advertising

VNY Media La Voce di New York © 2016 - 2022
Main Office: 230 Park Avenue, 21floor, New York, NY 10169 | Editorial Office/Redazione: UN Secretariat Building, International Press Corps S-301, New York, NY 10017

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • New York
  • Onu
  • News
    • Primo Piano
    • Politica
    • Economia
    • First Amendment
  • Arts
    • Arte e Design
    • Spettacolo
    • Musica
    • Libri
  • Lingua Italiana
  • Lifestyles
    • Fashion
    • Scienza e Salute
    • Sport
    • Religioni
  • Food & Wine
    • Cucina Italiana
  • Travel
    • Italia
  • English

© 2016/2022 VNY Media La Voce di New York

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In