In a new threat, the rogue military commander, Khalifa Haftar, says that he is "close to taking a decisive decision to determine the path towards restoring the state."
In a speech delivered during a visit to the Al-Jufra region, Haftar, who is approaching his eighties, said he is ready to wage another war "to liberate the country" if peaceful efforts to expel foreign forces fail.
"We will move in line with the will of the Libyan people after all previous tracks brought us to a dead end and disappointing results."
He urged the Libyan people to uphold the right to self-determination and not to pin their hopes on foreign agendas, hinting that specific parties want to prolong the crisis with "flimsy pretexts and suspicious initiatives."
Ironically, Haftar, who -according to UN reports- sought help from Chadian, Sudanese, Syrian, and Russian mercenaries to take over the western region in April 2019, is demanding the removal of all foreign forces from Libyan territory, warning that if peaceful efforts fail, he will lead a decisive battle to liberate the country.
As he put it, the current landscape in Libya has changed and calls for a radical change are growing louder.
"The Libyan people, who waited so long and sacrificed so much, will not allow those who put their interests above the nation's to reap the dividends."
Hatar said he welcomes all UN resolutions that support the Libyan people in their adherence to the principle of national sovereignty and in the path they choose to build their state and address their issues.
He welcomed the UN envoy and lauded his call that any initiative to resolve the Libyan crisis must emanate from the Libyan people themselves, as they are the primary stakeholders in this scene.
Haftar vowed to facilitate the UN envoy's tasks 'if he proves himself independent, impartial, and free of external pressure.'
