Libya: Haftar Calls for Disbanding Militias and heading to elections “without any further delay”
Libya: The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, participated in the activities of the 7th military parade in the city of Benghazi at the Benina Military Base on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Dignity and the defeat of terrorism in Benghazi, Derna and the South of the country. In his keynote address, Haftar said direct Presidential and Parliamentary elections were the right of the Libyan people, and that it was time for reconciliation and tolerance to build together a new Libya, of goodness, peace and security. He warned enemies of peace that the armed forced will not hesitate to fight battles if the term of political and military agreements are not honored.
In his speech during the military parade, which was covered today by our reporters, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar said that the holding of this parade was to reassure the Libyan people that their security, territorial integrity, public and private property, and their natural resources are surrounded on all sides by officers and commando soldiers who do not fear death, who have pledged to protect the homeland.
Field Marshal Haftar clarified that the army worked to develop and strengthen itself, on one hand, while confronting terrorism on the other. The army established military institutes and colleges, from which emerged a military institution to guarantee the revival of unified civilian institutions and the unity and integrity of the Libyan territories.
He added that the military parade by military units represents a message to Libyans that the army has defeated terrorism and confronted invasion and occupation, He said the army sacrificed martyrs for the sake of dignity and built the army from nothing in the most difficult, complicated and harsh conditions imaginable to bring security and protect the country and the Libyan people.
The LNA Commander-in-Chief said the military parade will throws terror into the hearts of Libya’s enemies, those who seek to obstruct the path of achieving a just peace, and who try to circumvent what has been internationally agreed upon.
He called on skeptics of the capabilities of the armed forces to look at the sacrifices by its soldiers and officers in the cities of Derna, Benghazi, the South, and the Oil Crescent to defeat terrorism. He said the army then moved towards the capital, Tripoli, to break control suffered by the capital. He indicated that a peaceful political solution has long been sought, in order to preserve Libyan blood and serve the Libyan people, to protect its social fabric, all of which led to stopping these efforts.
Field Marshal Haftar said what was critical now was to adhere to a peaceful political solution. He said it was based on this principle that the armed forces stopped their campaign to retake the capital, Tripoli. The LNA campaign had focussed on the removal of foreign mercenaries and foreign forces from the country, the dissolution of illegal armed groups, and fair distribution of wealth for the entire country.
Field Marshal Haftar indicated that the positive developments that occurred through the international conferences, including the Berlin Conference and the subsequent rounds of political dialogue, were made possible by the sacrifices and efforts of the armed forces. He said the armed forces had taken the correct to direct their battalions towards the capital, Tripoli.
He said that the highest authority should focus on managing the country’s affairs, providing services to citizens, and working hard to conduct of direct legislative and presidential elections by the Libyan people and ensure it happens as scheduled.
He added that the departure of the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the achievement of the economic paths and other key developments would not have happened had it not been for the fact that the armed forces.
Field Marshal Haftar said it was time for reconciliation and tolerance to build together a new Libya—a Libya of goodness, peace and security. But he warned enemies of peace that the armed forced will not hesitate to fight battles if the term of political and military agreements are not honoured.
He valued the sacrifices of all citizens who have endured loss. He saluted the martyrs, the wounded, their families, and all Libyans, and the regional, international efforts to support the peace process, and which will not be compromised by the presence of terrorism and foreign mercenaries in the country.
