The “National Unity” government in western Libya affirmed its keenness to take into account “Egyptian concerns, including those related to maritime borders and economic waters in the Mediterranean,” this came during a phone call between Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Al-Dabaiba and the head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Major General Hassan Rashad, on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by Dabaiba’s office on Saturday evening, Dabaiba stressed his keenness to address Egyptian concerns “through dialogue and joint coordination, in a way that preserves the legitimate maritime rights and interests of the two brotherly countries.” The Libyan government included this contact within talks that focused on “bilateral relations and coordination on files of common interest.”
During the phone call, Rashad stressed “the depth of relations between the two brotherly countries, the constant keenness to develop them in various fields to serve their interests, and the importance of continuing communication and coordination between the two sides.”
The phone call came the day after Egyptian-Turkish consultations addressed developments in the situation in the region, including the dispute that followed the Libyan Parliament’s passing last week of the Libyan-Turkish maritime memorandum of understanding, which reopened the file of overlap in maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, amid Egyptian, European, Greek and Cypriot objections.
Libyan political analyst, Hossam Fneish, believes that the phone call between Dabaiba and the head of Egyptian intelligence is “important” given its timing and the nature of the files it deals with. He explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that the head of the Libyan “unity” government “will take his relationship with Cairo into consideration when dealing with any executive steps related to the agreement, and will not tend to sacrifice this relationship under any circumstances.”
From Fneish’s perspective, Al-Dabaiba’s confirmation of taking into account Egyptian concerns “reflects the importance of continuing communication between Tripoli and Cairo, especially in light of the differing positions regarding the demarcation of maritime borders, and the necessity of dealing with the issue through political and diplomatic channels.”
Libya suffers from a sharp division between two executive governments. One is in Tripoli, headed by Al-Dabaiba, and another is appointed by Parliament and headed by Osama Hammad. It controls the east and parts of the south of the country, and enjoys the support of the National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Pakistan opened a new diplomatic path in eastern Libya following the opening of its Consulate General in Benghazi, about ten months after a growing rapprochement with the leadership of the “National Army” led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. It began with a military and security cooperation agreement that coincided with an “arms deal,” and then extended to high-level political and military contacts.
The opening of the consulate, on Friday evening, was an extension of this rapprochement, which goes beyond defense cooperation to expand economic, trade and investment relations, in a step that observers considered “an enhancement of institutional communication between Islamabad and the authorities in eastern Libya, and opens the way for new paths of bilateral cooperation.”
Pakistani Ambassador Mumtaz Hussain Sekert placed the opening of the consulate within the framework of developing bilateral relations, strengthening institutional communication, and providing consular services to members of the Pakistani community, in addition to expanding areas of cooperation between the two countries, in statements during a ceremony held on this occasion.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the government appointed by the House of Representatives, Abdul Hadi Al-Hawaij, linked the step to a new phase of bilateral cooperation, which includes strengthening diplomatic and consular communication, facilitating services provided to citizens, and opening broader horizons for economic, commercial and investment cooperation.
The most prominent milestones of rapprochement between the two countries date back to the end of last year, when the Pakistani Army Commander, Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited Benghazi and met Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Libyan Forces, and the two sides then signed an agreement for military and security cooperation.
This step coincided with an arms deal worth more than four billion dollars, according to Pakistani officials quoted by Reuters, including JF-17 fighters and Super Mashaq training aircraft, in addition to equipment for the land, naval and air forces, and arrangements for joint training and manufacturing.
Military communications continued during the current year. Last February, Haftar and his son Saddam, the commander of the Pakistani army, met in Islamabad to discuss defense and security cooperation, before the talks were renewed last June during Saddam Haftar’s meeting with Asim Munir in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.
In reading these movements, political analyst Amr Boussaida believes that cooperation with Pakistan and strengthening its presence gives the leadership of eastern Libya “a safe haven from international vetoes.”
Bou Saida explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that “cooperation with a country with the size and military capabilities of Pakistan allows for the supply and development of equipment and training, such as fighter jet deals, training aircraft, and joint training programs, away from the complexities of severe UN sanctions or the sharp tensions between the Western and Eastern camps, which are often restricted by the calculations of NATO and Russia.”
The supply of weapons to Libya is subject to a UN embargo, imposed by the Security Council in 2011, in a resolution issued after the revolution of February 17, 2011, obligating countries to prevent the sale and transfer of weapons to the country, with exceptions subject to the approval of the UN Sanctions Committee.
On the diplomatic track, Khalifa Haftar had previously discussed, during his visit to Pakistan last February, the opening of a Pakistani consulate in Benghazi, before arrangements progressed towards its official inauguration.
The opening of this consulate adds an institutional channel to existing political and military communications, and creates the opportunity to expand relations outside the defense framework.
Bou Saida reads the step as going beyond its protocol function, and providing consular services to the Pakistani community, to reflect Islamabad’s interest in strengthening its relations with an influential political and military center in eastern Libya. According to his estimate, this would “open the way for Pakistani companies to access the Libyan market and benefit from opportunities related to reconstruction and development projects.”
