FILE PHOTO: Members of Libya's internationally recognized government forces carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya October 14, 2019. Picture taken October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny/File PhotoCAIRO – 7 January 2019: The U.S. Embassy in Libya strongly condemned the military escalation in Tripoli in recent days.In a Sunday statement, the embassy said that they condemn recent attacks against Tripoli’s Matiga Airport and the indiscriminate shelling against civilian infrastructure and residential neighborhoods of Tripoli, which killed and injured many civilians.“This deterioration in security underscores the dangers of toxic foreign interference in Libya, such as the arrival of Syrian fighters supported by Turkey as well as the deployment of Russian mercenaries,” the embassy stated.The statement explained that all Libyan parties “have a responsibility to end this dangerous involvement of foreign forces, which is contributing to civilian casualties and damaging civilian infrastructure to the detriment of all Libyans.”“The U.S. Embassy stands ready to support all Libyan efforts to end the violence, curtail the interference of foreign forces, and reestablish a UN-facilitated political dialogue, which is the only path to lasting peace and prosperity,” the statement concluded.Egypt’s Observatory for Monitoring Takfiri Fatwas and Extremist Ideologies at Dar al-Ifta said on Sunday, "Turkey’s interference in the region creates a fertile environment for extremists and terrorist groups. "“The Turkish ambitions in the Arab states and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s attempts to control Syria and Libya create a fertile environment for the terrorist trends and organizations,” the statement read.The observatory added that such ambitions increase chaos and incite violence in war-stricken countries, noting that Turkey’s intervention in Libya, which represents a blatant violation against the international laws and resolutions, will turn the country into another Syria. "The unlawful and controversial Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Turkey and Head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj result in dire consequences in the whole region," said the observatory, calling upon the international community to fully support the Libyan Parliament, which stands against the signed deals.On January 2, 2020, the Turkish Parliament voted for Erdogan’s proposal to send Turkish troops to Libya after signing the deals in February 2019 on drawing maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea- one of the largest natural gas resources in the region- and on enhancing military cooperation.The deals provoked anger in Egypt, Cyprus and Greece that voiced their rejection of the deal as it contradicts with the international agreements.

Source: Libya Today January 07, 2020 09:11 UTC