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| Members of Libya’s internationally recognised government forces carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli |
The Turkish government is sending to parliament on Monday a bill mandating the deployment of troops to Libya, said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, accelerating a high-stakes plan that Ankara outlined last week.
Last week, President Tayyip Erdogan said his government would seek parliamentary consent to deploy troops to Libya after Fayez al-Serrajโs Government of National Accord (GNA) requested support. The GNA is fending off an offensive by Khalifa Haftarโs forces in the east of the North African country.
Erdogan had said on Thursday the bill would pass around January 8-9.
But Cavusoglu, after meeting with Turkish opposition leaders to seek support for the legislation, told reporters the bill would be submitted to parliament later on Monday.
โAs the foreign ministry, we presented the mandate to the Presidency for it to be sent to the parliament. And as of today, we have learned from the Presidentโs office that the mandate will be sent to parliament with the signature of the Honourable President within the day,โ Cavusoglu said.
Earlier on Monday, Turkeyโs main opposition party said after talks with Cavusoglu that it opposes the bill, arguing that such a move would exacerbate the countryโs conflict and cause it to spread across the region.
Cavusoglu later met with the opposition Iyi Party, which he said would evaluate the bill.
Ankara has already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations embargo, according to a UN report seen by Reuters last month, and has said it will continue to support the GNA. Haftarโs forces have received support from Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
REUTERS
