Turkey says ready to act against Haftar if Libya attacks continue

Turkey will not refrain from "teaching a lesson" to Khalifa Haftar, the commander of eastern Libyan forces, if they continue attacks against the country's internationally recognized government, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 14.

In a speech, Erdoğan said the "putschist Haftar ran away" from Moscow after Jan. 13's peace talks between him and the head of the Tripoli-based government, Fayez al-Sarraj, failed to lead to an open-ended ceasefire to end their nine-month conflict.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Jan. 14 that Haftar's decision to not sign a ceasefire agreement with the internationally recognized government shows who wants war and who wants peace in the country.

"Turkey did and will do its part for a cease-fire and peace in Libya under the leadership of our president," Çavuşoğlu told reporters in Ankara.

"But in the current context, it is clear who wants peace or war, who wants or doesn't want to forge unity in Libya."

Haftar had initially asked for until Jan. 14 morning to make up his mind on the deal after indirect talks with his rival, Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads Libya's Tripoli-based internationally recognized government, Turkey's foreign minister said.

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also slammed Haftar's decision to not sign the ceasefire agreement. 

"We will certainly ensure a ceasefire. We will show our efforts to provide peace both in Libya and Idlib [Syria] with a political solution. Our hope is to stop the bloodshed," he said. 
Akar stressed that Turkey supported cease-fires in the two region agreed upon last week between Ankara and Moscow, adding that they mostly held.

Libya's warring leaders made some progress at indirect peace talks in...