Libyan Army has said it will not cooperate with the European Union (EU)
military intervention to curtail the flow of undocumented migrants
trying to cross over to Europe.
Libyan Army has said it will not cooperate with the European Union (EU) military intervention to curtail the flow of undocumented migrants trying to cross over to Europe.
The country’s army head, Gen. Khalifa Haftar,
said, in an interview with CNN that Libyan authorities have not been
consulted, noting that a military action will not solve the problem in
any event.
"We will certainly not cooperate,
because we were not involved in resolving this issue. The decision was
taken without consulting the legitimate Libyan side," Haftar said.
One vessel that capsized last weekend killed about 900 people dead.
The
EU is reportedly overwhelmed with a rocketing number of people flooding
unseaworthy boats attempting to reach European shores – many of them
are escaping from violence and poverty in Libya.
EU
leadership is planning a military action against the smugglers at the
source before they load their boats with human cargo but Haftar says the
decision is not wise.
He said, "Military
action against Libyan territory is an unwise decision. You need to deal
with the Libyan crisis as a whole. We are a sovereign country that needs
to be respected despite what we are going through right now.
"The
European Union needs to stand with the Libyan people to solve the
crisis instead of taking such decisions. The migrant crisis affects
them. But why don't they see that our problems are also very important?
It's important for them to support us either on the humanitarian front
or on the security front.
"We do what's
in the interest of the Libyan people. The European Union is looking
after its own interests so we will also look after ours.
"If
they take the right approach, we will certainly cooperate. The
appropriate approach will benefit Libya and its fight against terrorism.
And I repeat, that means lifting sanctions against Libya - specifically
those against the army."
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