Algeria is a principal part of solving the Libyan crisis and we await …“
On December 3, the daily Echourouk el-Youmi reported: „In the following interview with Echoroukonline, Muhammad Bilkhayr, the Libyan minister of labour and rehabilitation and the spokesman of Umar al-Hasi government, spoke about the security situation in the country, stressing that Libya has become a major source of arms for criminal groups. He pointed out that there are foreign forces seeking to strike at Algeria after targeting Libya. He also said that they are waiting for an invitation to attend dialogue sessions that Algeria is preparing for. On the other hand, he accused some Arab countries of making matters worse in Libya by supporting Haftar, whom he called a coupist.
„[Echoroukonline] Algeria has announced its intention to host a dialogue process between the Libyan protagonists. Have you been invited?“[Bilkhayr] As we speak, no invitation has been extended to the National Salvation Government to attend any dialogue or reconciliation talks that Algeria is planning to launch. However, the [General] National Congress might have received Algeria’s invitation. As far as we are concerned, as National Salvation Government, we welcome any Algerian role to resolve the crisis because its [Algeria’s] strategic interests are totally linked to Libya’s stability, in addition to the joint march we had with Algeria during its war for liberation and its position as an effective player in building the Maghreban union.
„[Echoroukonline] Based on what you have just said, will you reject similar efforts should they come from other countries, Arab countries to be specific?
„[Bilkhayr] There are countries and parties which consider Libya’s stability as part of their own domestic and strategic interests. However, there are other Arab countries, such as Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for instance, that encourage the continuation of chaos and violence throughout Libya. These quarters cannot possibly be part of the solution to the crisis, as they are active and important parties to the problems and insecurity, unlike Algeria which we see as essential player in an solution since it shares our convictions and constants which reject terrorism and violence and believes that dialogue and direct talks are the best way to come out of the crisis.
„[Echoroukonline] What are the real causes of the current crisis in Libya?
„[Bilkhayr] It is a political dispute rather than a legal one. There are legitimate on the one hand, and there is a party that seeks to impose its own legitimacy through the force of arms. More specifically, there is a GNC that set up a government. Legislative elections were supposed to take place once its mandate is over, and a transfer of power was supposed to go from the old parliament to the new one. However, the latter made procedural mistakes when it held its sessions in Tobruk without justification. The Constitutional Court, which is the highest judicial institution in the country, had therefore dissolved the parliament and dissolved Abdallah al-Thinni’s government [emanating from the new parliament] in the process. This leaves only one legislative institution that is legitimate, which is the GNC and a government led by Umar al-Hasi.
„[Echoroukonline] In view of this complex spectacle, how will Algeria issue the invitation for attending the talks?
„[Bilkhayr] Algeria should normally take an objective look at what is taking place in Libya. There is a legitimate authority which sprung out of the 17 February 2011 revolution, but there is also another party claiming legitimacy for itself. However, the Constitutional Court revoked its legitimacy, as I said earlier, and things went back to normal. Moreover, Al-Thinni’s government is made of a few portfolios and some international support that has its own agenda, as well as the support of some coupist gangs. Based on this situation, we expect Algeria to have a perceptive look at the situation, and we hope that we can interact with our Algerian brothers in view of the fact that we share numerous common understandings on how to resolve the crisis – unlike Egypt which supports coupists like Haftar – as Algeria understands the reality of the Libyan situation. We would also like to stress here that the Libya Dawn forces are not a terrorist organization as it is bein! g propagated but one of the 17 February revolution factions. We do not support terrorism in the name of religion, nor are we fundamentalists, tribal forces or totalitarian people. All our efforts are focused on bringing peace and putting the country on a democratic path.
„[Echoroukonline] Some reports say the Algerian army has carried out a number of military operations inside the Libyan territory. Can you confirm or deny such reports?
„[Bilkhayr] We have not monitored anything at all that indicates the presence of Algerian troops on the Libyan soil. I categorically deny such reports. As far as I know, the Algerian army is barred by the constitution from carrying out any military action outside the border.
„[Echoroukonline] There are a number of humanitarian initiatives by Algeria towards Libya, such as the reopening of the border. What else is required from it?
„[Bilkhayr] We are hoping Algeria would listen to everyone, including the government and the GNC, in order to reach grounds that that can involve the parties, and that it sides with what is right. We hope to visit Algeria because foreign desires threatening Libya also represent threats to Algeria.
„[Echoroukonline] There are mutual accusations of terrorism between the Libya Dawn forces and Haftar’s forces. Can you shed some light on this?
„[Bilkhayr] One should be objective when talking about terrorism. The Libya Dawn forces are categorically not a terrorist organization. They are groups that were involved in the 17 February 2011 revolution. On the other hand, there are anti-revolutionary forces. Haftar is leading a coupist movement that seeks power through the force of arms, something he started in the west of the country with Egyptian support as well the support of some mercenaries from Chad and the Tabu tribes. In eastern Libya, there is also an organization called Ansar al-Shari’ah which includes Salafists and Jihadists that espouse aspirations that are purely Libyan and have nothing to do with foreign organizations. As for Darnah, it has had no had links with the state for many years and, and as a Government of National Salvation, we do not support this group.
„However, one should point out something important here: There are some parties that leak wrong information and try to paint a black picture to serve their own agendas. By this, I mean foreign parties, such as Egypt in which there are more than 12,000 jihadists, whereas Ansar al-Shari’ah only has between 2,000 and 3,000 elements according to some estimates.
„[Echoroukonline] You seem to be denying the presence of foreign armed elements on Libyan territory.
„[Bilkhayr] One cannot confirm or deny the presence of armed elements with links to international terrorist organizations in Libya. Our NATO partners failed to make accurate calculations, and some of their predictions regarding the future events in the country were rather mistaken. They left the borders wide open, which puts Libya and the outside world at risk. The west is responsible for the collapse of the state in Libya. We do not deny that Libya has become a hotbed for extremists and a major source of armament for many countries particularly the neighbouring ones. However, we are making serious efforts, both at the level of general staff command and intelligence, to bring matters under control.
„[Echoroukonline] so, based on what you have just said, Libya is free from both Al-Qa’idah and ISIL organizations.
„[Bilkhayr] These organizations do not exist in Libya. If you are referring to what is taking place in Darnah, this situation however is not new. It has been like this since the 1980s. It is a special case. Extremism exists in a number of countries, including America. Once the state regains its stability, then we will be able to deal with this phenomenon.
„[Echoroukonline] The Tunisian interior minister said a few days ago that 12 Libyan aircraft are missing and they could be used against Algeria and Tunisia. How true is this?
„[Bilkhayr] I can confirm that there are no missing Libyan aircraft, and it is not possible to use aircraft against Algeria or Tunisia either. The aircraft that are carrying out air raids belong to Haftar. They are Russian aircraft based in Gharyan, Zuwarah, and Bu-Kammash. And here one should ask why would Algeria be targeted and under what justification? Haftar cannot do that; he has been a failure. He has not even been able to extend his control over Benghazi, and he knows that targeting Algeria would be tantamount to a suicidal action.“
Newspaper – Middle East, Middle East