The General Command of the Libyan National Army (LNA) has specified four major conditions to engage in dialogue with Misrata elders about the involvement of the city’s armed groups in the fighting in Tripoli, reported Al-Ittihad newspaper, citing well-informed military sources.
The conditions included dissolving the armed groups, surrendering their weapons, handingbover the ones wanted for crimes to justice, and expelling the foreign advisers from Misrata.
The military sources added that there had been mediators in contact with the LNA’s General Command about organizing negotiations with “the wise from Misrata.”
The General Command has conditioned dissolving the armed groups in Misrata to starting any negotiations as they would be useless without such a step, the military sources added.
This isn’t the first time reports allude to indirect talks between leaderships from Misrata and the LNA’s General Command as part of the efforts from both parties to sit for dialogue whose details are yet to be revealed.
In the meantime, The Independent reported about a week ago a high ranking diplomatic source from Tripoli as saying that leaders of armed groups from Misrata and others close to the LNA’s General Command met and discussed the possibility of a ceasefire in southern Tripoli.
The diplomatic source told The Independent (Arabic Edition) that Misrata leaderships want to have assurances that the LNA won’t advance on their city in order for them to pull out of southern Tripoli frontlines in return.
Reaffirming the stance of the LNA’s General Command, the source said the command responded to Misrata leaderships saying their armed groups should surrender their weapons and be under the command of security and police departments to be appointed by an upcoming government to secure the city, without revealing details about the new government or what party would form it.
