Misrata Militias Threatens Al-Wefaq in Tripoli to Quit Battles

A military official in Libya revealed to Al-Arabiya news that Misrata militias threatened to withdraw from the battle grounds in Tripoli and return to its city, in protest against Al-Wefaq government allocating higher salary payments to Syrian mercenaries hired by Turkey.

Misrata militias are fighting alongside Al-Wefaq forces against the Libyan National Army.

Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that thousands of Syrian mercenaries have been transferred by Turkey to Libya to support the militias of Al-Wefaq government, led by Fayez Al-

Sarraj, and each will receive salary of up to two thousand dollars.

Meanwhile in Italy, the Attorney General announced this morning that the captain of a cargo ship flying the Lebanese flag has been arrested in northern Italy on suspicion of smuggling weapons between Turkey and Libya.

An official statement said that the ship, which docked in the coastal city of Genoa, was carrying missiles, tanks and military equipment to Libya in violation of the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, adding that the captain is suspected of trading with unidentified Turkish military officials.

The French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, had earlier spotted off the Libyan coast a Turkish frigate escorting a ship carrying armored transport vehicles towards Tripoli.

A Security Council resolution, as well as the obligations of the participants in the Berlin conference, held a month ago, prohibit sending weapons to Libya. The European Union foreign ministers agreed a few days ago to launch a naval mission to monitor the arms embargo imposed on Libya.

On his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu considered that the Turkish guarantees regarding Libya depend on respecting the armistice between the warring parties, adding that the "international system" failed to stop the clashes in Libya, and that the political process there cannot go forward while battles continue.

In Algeria, President Abdel Majid Tebboune warned that if Libya is dismantled within a year, or 18 months, then Europe and the Mediterranean will face a "new Somalia" on its borders, with consequences threatening its security and stability.

Tebboune said in an interview with the French newspaper "Le Figaro", that Algeria is ready to mediate any talks aimed at a ceasefire in Libya.