Yasin Aktay
The conference called for by Germany that is set to convene in Berlin to ensure a ceasefire in Libya and contribute to the political solution, wou-ld be meaningless if Khal-ifa Haftar is to object to the ceasefire decision last minute. Similar to previous meetings, it would be just another convention unlikely to yield any results.
Haftar, who is carrying out attacks to take over Tripoli, does not want an opponent with whom he can negotiate and accept to co-rule Libya. He wants to take over all of Libya without any dialogue and, had Turkey not entered the ground, this probably would have happened today. There is nothing to justify Haftar’s aggression, but he has a motive: the armed forces handed to him, which he is currently using.
Had it not been for the last-minute agreement bet-ween Turkey and the legitimate Government of Natio-nal Accord (GNA), Haftar would have gotten what he wanted and the Berlin conference would have become obsolete before even convening. Hence, it is safe to say that Turkey was the one that also saved the Berlin conference at the last minute from becoming obsolete.
Now, assembling in Berlin has significance for Libya. Because Haftar is now facing a power it could not destroy and thinks it can no longer destroy from now onward. There is no possibility of pulling out of the Berlin Conference, because while everything was going on track until now, Turkey rocked the boat for him.
Turkey’s presence on the ground has changed all equilibriums. Whereas the international community was content with sitting idly by shedding crocodile tears over the destruction of the Tripoli administration, whose legitimacy it recognizes, by a force it considers illegitimate. Though the U.N. declared Haftar a war criminal, it did nothing to stop him. Yet, the U.N. was one of the interlocutors for the help the Tripoli administration sought from Turkey. However, Turkey was the one that reached out and provided this aid where the U.N. could not.
Turkey is the highest representative of international ethics and values in Berlin. All it wants is that the agg-ression be stopped and Libya be left to Libyans. If a call is made for all foreign elements to leave Libya, Turkey will be the first to support this call on the condition that everybody is sincere.
Egypt, which claims it intervened because it shares a very long border with Libya, will be clearly reminded that having a joint border does not give you the right to invade a country, nor does it give you the right to export your own putschist model to that country.
Behaving in this way, Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi acts as a partner in crime to Haftar who is committing crimes against humanity against his own people. In the model imposed on Libya through Haftar, nations have no importance. Efforts are being made to openly enslave a nation, to invade their lands by force of arms, through massacres.
IS SITTING AT THE TABLE WITH SISI, ASSAD AN OPTION?
Saying, “Turkey is not an adversary with Egypt or any other Arab-Muslim country; as a matter of fact, neither country has any reason to be enemies with one another. Just take a moment to imagine the same agreement with Libya was made with Egypt,” in reference to those in Egyptian media who use Turkey’s deal with Libya as an excuse to carry out an anti-Turkey campaign, we are pointing to the irrational attitude of the current administration in Egypt.
We are saying that, “If there had been a sensible administration ruling Egypt, it would not have struck a deal with the Greeks and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC) to the detriment of its own country.” The Egyptian administration is currently making deals with others contrary to its own country’s interests simple because of its anti-Turkey sentiment. This is causing nothing but to harm to Egypt.
As a matter of fact, on top of these deals, the agreement between Turkey and Libya gained back the rights Egypt voluntarily gave up in favor of Greece and the GCASC to the people of Egypt.
For the pure reason that we made such a statement, many people mentioned that we made a regretful U-turn from our policy to date. As if this was not enough, it was surprising to see the abundance of those advising us to sit at the same table with Assad – while the door to repentance and the path to making a U-turn were open.
They are so eager to sit at the same table with dictators whose hands are stained with blood.
Personally, my statements concerning Egypt were not aimed at Turkey but at Egyptian media and the Egyptian public. What I said on behalf of Turkey solely states that we do not have the slightest enmity towards the people of Egypt or Libya and that we should remember our common history and interests. Unfortunately, the Egyptian administration does not represent the interests of its people in any way.
Turkey’s attitude towards Sisi and Assad is not an attitude aimed at the people of Egypt or the people of Syria.
What can possibly be discussed with Assad while he still has the blood of his own people whom he ruthlessly massacred and continues to massacre daily? What can be asked of him?
What topic will Turkey discuss with the putschist Sisi, who has not hesitated to be involved in all kinds of plots against Turkey, whose words even those who support him do not trust?
If those calling on us to meet with Sisi believe it is possible to trust someone who slowly killed the country’s elected president in prison, who is massacring his own people, who is currently torturing daily close to a hundred thousand political detainees, then they are in fact revealing that they themselves cannot be trusted under any condition.
Because in saying this, they are only shamelessly demonstrating their own lack of conscience, morality and humanity in all clarity.
