Russia wary to take sides in Libya as Hifter offers lucrative deals
The Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Hifter directly called on the Russian president to interfere into the Libyan conflict militarily to sway victory into Hifter's favor; Moscow, however, is more comfortable with balancing the warring parties by different branches of the Russian government.
The spokesman of Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who heads the Libyan National Army (LNA), called on Moscow Aug. 8 to intervene into Libya "to get rid of foreign players in the country.” Ahmed al-Mismari told Russia’s state-owned media Sputnik that the situation in Libya requires a Russian presence similar to that in Syria, and urged President Vladimir Putin’s personal intervention “to directly eliminate foreign players in Libya such as Qatar, Turkey and Italy.”
He added, "We are very confident that Russia is a superpower and its words will be heard if it holds talks with Italy, Turkey and Qatar or other countries such as Sudan, regarding the smuggling of terrorists into Libya."
Mismari also argued that Russia’s intervention in Syria was successful, noting that its role in eliminating foreign players there was "prominent."
“What’s happening in Syria is happening in Libya. The Libyan people are looking for a strong ally like Russia," he concluded.
