Tunisian Speaker Blesses Turkish Interference Into Libya

On one hand, Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi confirms that there is no military solution to the conflict in Libya. On the other hand, he sent cables of congratulations to Fayez al-Sarraj, the Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli on the control of the GNA forces on the Al-Watiya air base.

These forces consist of a group of militias, as well as Syrian mercenaries and Turkish military experts.

During a phone call, Ghannouchi told al-Sarraj that Tunisia is directly affected by everything that is happening in Libya, and is concerned with the return of security and stability to the neighboring country.

[caption id="attachment_98343" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Turkish president with Fayez Al-Sarraj[/caption]

Perhaps this phone conversation explains the Tunisian speaker’s silence regarding the parliamentary and popular demands in Tunisia for holding himself accountable for his "vague and unlawful moves and contacts.”

In this regard, the Free Constitutional Party expressed its objection to another recent call made by Ghannouchi to Khaled al-Mashri, who is known for his affiliation with the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya and who is currently the head of the Supreme Council of State.

Tunisian Popular Anger At Ghannouchi

The Tunisian party demanded that Ghannouchi be held accountable for the reasons for these secret contacts, which are not published on the parliament’s page, but rather misled about them.

After days of controversy over the contact, which neither Ghannouchi nor the members of Ennahda movement revealed in parliament, a Turkish plane landed at the Djerba-Gerges airport in the south. 

Some parties said that the Turkish plane was loaded with aid and intended for Libyans, while others said that it is medical aid for Tunisia.

[caption id="attachment_111425" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Turkish soldiers are reportedly deployed in Libya[/caption]

Turkey is the common factor in the relationship between Ghannouchi and his Ennahda movement on the one hand and the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood and the militias of the Tripoli government on the other.

Turkey, where Ghannouchi flew to last January, on an unannounced visit, supplies the GNA militias of al-Sarraj and thousands of Syrian mercenaries, as well as experts from the Turkish army, to confront the Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan feeds the Libyan crisis with all the causes of war and conflict, most notably the use of Ghannouchi and al-Sarraj’s submission to the Turkish interference into Libya.

Erdogan is seeking to compensate for the decline of the Turkish role in both Syria and Iraq, by expanding in North Africa, where Turkey dreamed of Mediterranean fortunes.

Last week, the Tunisian Free Constitutional Party, headed by Abir Moussi, demanded that confidence be withdrawn from the Speaker of Parliament, Ghannouchi, describing him as a threat to the country’s national security.

During a video published on the official page of the head of the Free Constitutional Party on Facebook, Moussi said: “Ghannouchi’s presidency at the head of parliament is a threat to national security,” adding that “withdrawing confidence from Ghannouchi is a national duty.”

The party leader condemned Ghannouchi’s repeated visits to Turkey, describing it as a violation of the House of Representatives Law, which requires his accountability and demanding the withdrawal of confidence from him in his capacity as Speaker of Parliament.

[caption id="attachment_126214" align="aligncenter" width="980"] Tunisian MP Abir Moussi[/caption]

On May 10,  Moussi revealed that the she had received assassination threats due to her criticism against actions of hardline organization of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia since 2011.

Member of the Free Constitutional Party and Chairwoman of the Energy Committee in the Tunisian Parliament Moussi said, in a live broadcast on Facebook, that this criticism led in the past years to the murder of lawyer Shoukri Belaid and former member of the National Constituent Assembly, Mohamed Brahmi.

Moussi confirmed that Belaid and Brahmi, who, were assassinated in front of their houses because they opposed the Brotherhood and revealed its plots against the Tunisian state.

“There is no need for this attack… We are not ready to return to the 2011 scenarios, and return to violence and eliminations,” she noted.