UAE Spending Huge Money to Back Pro-Haftar Nominees in Libyan Elections: Report

Sources said there have been intensive talks and consultations between the United Arab Emirates and Libyan groups to secure support for those close to Major General Khalifa Belgacem Haftar, the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), in the upcoming elections.

News ID: 70508

Date: 03 June 2018 - 13:51

TEHRAN (Defapress) –The Libyan sources said the UAE is spending large sums of money to finance the electoral campaign of nominees who are close to Major General Haftar, the Arabic-language Al-Araby Al-Jadeed daily reported.

According to the sources, Egypt, the UAE, Oman, and Tunisia have recently held secret talks to secure support for the nomination of their favorite candidates in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya later this year.

Khalifa Haftar will not personally run for the upcoming elections, but will nominate a number of his main advocates with the support of his allies in Egypt, the UAE and France, the report said.

On Tuesday, four main Libyan political leaders attended a peace conference in Paris and agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10.

Libya is split between rival governments in the East and West, each backed by an array of tribal militias.

Egypt, Russia and the UAE, who back General Haftar in the East, also attended the peace conference in Paris, as well as the UN Special envoy Ghassan Salame.

Libya has been gripped by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations and multiple militias vying for control of the oil-rich country.