Haftar orders shooting naval vessels entering Libyan waters

CAIRO – 02 August 2017: Commander of the Libyan National Army General Khalifa Haftar issued an order to his chief of staff on Wednesday to confront any naval vessel that enters Libyan territorial waters, except for licensed trade cargos, according to the Head of Information Office of the Libyan Army, Khalifa al-Obaidi.

The decision follows Italy’s announcement to send a limited naval mission to Libyan waters in order to curb the migrant flows.

Libya’s House of Representatives expressed its objection to the deal between the Libyan presidential council and Italy, saying that any deal by the presidential council is null if it’s not approved by the country’s only legislative body, the House of Representatives.

In his statement published on YouTube, the parliament’s spokesperson Abdallah Bilhaq called on the United Nations to take procedures against what he called “infringing on the Libyan sovereignty,” stressing the necessity for Italy to commit to international pacts and agreements and respect other countries’ sovereignty.

Earlier Wednesday, Italy's parliament authorized a limited naval mission to help Libya's coastguard curb migrant flows, which have become a source of growing political friction ahead of national elections expected early next year.

An Italian official said Rome planned to send two boats into Libyan waters, with Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti saying the vessels would only provide technical support and would not infringe on the North African country's sovereignty.

Italy announced the operation last week, saying it had been requested by Libya's U.N.-backed government. It initially hoped to send six ships to Libyan territorial waters, but the plans had to be scaled back following protests in Tripoli.

"[We will] provide logistical, technical and operational support for Libyan naval vessels, helping them and supporting them in shared and coordinated actions," Pinotti told parliament on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's vote.

"There will be no harm done or slight given to Libyan sovereignty, because, if anything, our aim is to strengthen Libyan sovereignty," she added, stressing that Italy had no intention of imposing a blockade on Libya's coast.

Italy’s lower house voted 328 to 113 in favor of the mission. The upper house was also expected to back the measure when it votes later in the day.

After a surge in migrant arrivals on boats from Libya at the start of the year, the number of newcomers have slowed in recent weeks, and the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday that 95,215 people have reached Italy in 2017, down 2.7 percent from the same period in 2016.

Some 2,230 migrants, most of them Africans fleeing poverty and violence back home, have died so far this year trying to make the sea crossing. (Contributed by Reuters)