Egypt asks USA to intervene in a Haftar-Turkey deal
Egypt has requested that the USA intervene in the development of Turkish and eastern Libyan maritime negotiations, reports Middle East Eye on July 2nd.
An Egyptian official told Middle East Eye that Egypt is concerned about an imminent rise in tensions should eastern Libya ratify a 2019 maritime treaty with Turkey. A deal that Tobruk initially opposed. The treaty, first signed by Tobruk’s rival, the UN recognized government in Tripoli, would recognise Turkey’s claim to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) over a wide swathe of the Eastern Mediterranean. An arrangement unacceptable to Greece and other regional players.
To counter the 2019 deal, Greece signed its own deal with Cairo in the following year. Now, Greece’s Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis is expected to go to Benghazi and Tripoli this week to address the maritime spat.
Despite lobbying by Athens and Cairo, Khalifa Haftar, the de-facto leader of eastern Libya, appears to be on the verge of endorsing the treaty between Tobruk and Ankara. An 81-year-old dual Libyan-US citizen is the principal power in eastern Libya, and his endorsement could equal a corresponding decision in parliament.
In culmination of these events, last month, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke on the phone with Massad Boulos, the US’s senior adviser on Africa, to introduce the idea of US intervention. Boulos indicated that he would speak with Khalifa Haftar, however, Middle East Eye was unable to procure further information from the State Department in the US.
Tobruk’s new disposition toward the treaty echoes a greater shift in regional politics, that is moving away from the ideological flash points that cracked the ground in Middle East and North Africa following the Arab Spring in 2011.
Old enemies, Haftar and Turkey, have displayed a willingness to cooperate on certain issues, a previously inconceivable circumstance. Turkey hosted Haftar’s delegation of military representatives and his son Sadaam in Ankara earlier this year.
Later that month, Sadaam and Boulos held a meeting in Washington, following which Sadaam met senior US intelligence officers to discuss regional security.
Egypt’s President Sisi hosted Khalifa and Sadaam in El Alamein this week, to discuss border security. Cairo has been intensifying its diplomatic efforts in trying to quell the many hot spots on its borders, as reported by Maghrebi.org.
Egypt remains cautious of Turko-Libyan cooperation. Its officials have told Middle East Eye that they believe Sadaam headed a provocative military operation in Sudan that aided the insurgency that plagues the Sudanese government. A move that, if true, would have gone counter to the interests of both Cairo and Ankara, both of whom back the Sudanese government.
The Trump administration enjoys good relations with the Haftar family, with whose head Donald Trump held a call during his first term, as fighting raged at a zenith in Libya.
Despite the attentions of the Trump administration, it is unclear whether USA is prepared to take upon itself a diplomatic, or any other kind of burden, that would ensue following an involvement in such a complex knot of allegiances and enmities.
Middle East Eye plus agencies, Maghrebi.org
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