Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on Libyan factions to practice self-restraint and immediately de-escalate the military situation in the western areas of the country.
He met with Aguila Saleh, the head of the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR), at the headquarters of the Arab League Secretariat on Monday to discuss the latest security and political developments in Libya and ways to solve the crisis.
Aboul Gheit urged Libyan parties to abide by the political path as the only solution to the Libyan crisis.
The Arab League chief said he is deeply concerned over the latest developments in Libya and the renewal of the armed clashes, at a time when the international community is mustering up efforts to encourage the Libyans to engage in a political process sponsored by the United Nations.
He also stressed that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis, “a matter that was reiterated during the 30th Arab League Summit that was held in Tunisia last month.”
For his part, Saleh said the Libyan National Army’s advance on Tripoli comes in line with the constitutional declaration and in accordance with the political agreement that stipulates evacuating the city from illegal armed groups.
As for the upcoming National Forum, the HoR chief said it depends on the exit of illegal armed groups from the capital, stressing that the LNA has affirmed it will protect the U.N.-sponsored talks.
However, Mahmoud Afifi, spokesperson for the Arab League, said in a statement that “the mutual talks tackled ways to put an end to the Libyan crisis through democratic transition process.”
“Dialogue among Libyan factions is the only way to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis,” Afifi added.
Earlier, Saleh, whose HoR is based in the east and is aligned with the LNA, caimed that Qatar and Turkey are financing terrorist groups in Libya, as the LNA found weapons and ammunition allegedly coming from Qatar in hideouts of terrorists in Derna.
“A Turkish ship carrying explosives to Misurata was spotted and then seized in Greece,” Saleh added in reference to the Turkish intervention in Libya.
