US delegation meets Haftar amid Russia's growing influence in the region
US Africa Command General Michael Langley and Chargé d'Affaires Jeremy Berndt recently met with the commander of the Libyan National Army, Jalifa Haftar, to reiterate the US commitment to stability and security in the North African country,
To this end, the US has urged all Libyan stakeholders to engage constructively in dialogue, with the support of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMI) and the international community, a statement said.
During the meeting, the US side stressed its support for ‘Libyan efforts to protect Libya's sovereignty in light of regional security challenges’, emphasising the importance of maintaining stability in the nation and de-escalation amid ongoing tensions.
Haftar, for his part, highlighted the development of friendly relations between the General Command and the US, underlining the importance of strengthening coordination and joint cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
‘The meeting focused on the importance of developing the partnership between the two countries to serve common goals and interests and to exchange experiences in the military and security fields,’ he said.
He said Langley praised ‘the key role played by the General Command in maintaining security and stability in Libya’, as well as ‘its efforts to monitor and control the borders with neighbouring countries’.
In addition to Haftar, the AFRICOM commander and his delegation met at Benina Air Base with General Command Secretary General Lieutenant General Khairy Al-Tamimi; Chief of Staff of Security Units Lieutenant General Khaled Haftar; Chief of Staff of Ground Forces Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar; and Chief of Staff of Air Forces Lieutenant General Muhammad Al-Manfour.
The recent meeting of US officials with Haftar comes amidst Russia's expanding influence in the region, which is of concern to the West. The US has repeatedly expressed ‘concern’ about military cooperation between the Russian and Libyan militaries, especially after reports surfaced of military equipment allegedly arriving in the port of Tobruk aboard two Russian warships. Russia also has between 2,000 and 2,500 Wagner personnel deployed at various military sites in Libya.
This meeting also coincides with a crisis related to the management of Libya's Central Bank that is generating international fears. In order to resolve this crisis, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya has launched an initiative to hold an emergency meeting attended by the parties involved in the crisis of the Central Bank of Libya to reach a consensus.
Washington has endorsed this initiative, calling it a step that ‘paves the way forward to resolve the crisis’ and encouraging ‘all parties to seize this opportunity’.
However, Libya's Presidential Council has rejected the UN proposal, announcing its decision to strengthen the rule of law and elect a Central Bank governor of integrity and competence, accompanied by another decision to form a board of directors for the first time in many years.
For his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, assured that ‘the flow of oil and gas will continue to be prevented until the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya returns to his legal duties - referring to the governor who was dismissed by the Presidential Council - in order to preserve the wealth of the Libyan people from manipulation and theft, and to preserve the capacities of the Libyan people’.
The disputes over control of Libya's central bank highlight potential dangers over the misuse of the country's financial resources, which come largely from oil revenues.
On Monday, Libyan authorities in the east of the country decided to halt oil production and exports until further notice in protest at the Tripoli authorities' control over the headquarters of the Central Bank of Libya and the dismissal of its governor.
The Tripoli-based financial body has been the main focus of tensions since the middle of this month between the rival governments.