Turkey to send troops to Libya at Tripoli's request

TurkeywillsendtroopstoLibyaat therequestof Tripoli as soon as next month, President TayyipErdogansaid on Thursday, putting the north African country's conflict at the centre of wider regional frictions.

Libya's internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) has been fending off a months-long offensive by General Khalifa Haftar's forces in easternLibya, which have been supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Last month, Ankara signed two separate accords with the GNA, led by Fayez al-Serraj, one on security and military cooperation and another on maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean.

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"Since there is an invitation (fromLibya) right now, we will accept it,"Erdogantold members of his AK Party in a speech. "We will put the bill onsendingtroopstoLibyaon the agenda as soon as parliament opens."

The legislation would pass around January8-9, he said, opening the door to deployment.

However, it was unclear what specific invitationErdoganwas referring to, as the interior minister in the Tripoli-based government, Fathi Bashagha, suggested in comments to reporters in Tunis that no such officialrequesthad yet been made.

"If the situation escalates and then we have the right to defend Tripoli and its residents... we will submit an officialrequestto the Turkish government to support us militarily so we expel the ghost of mercenary forces," Bashagha said on Thursday.

For weeks Ankara has flagged the possibility of a military mission inLibya, which would further stretch its armed forces less than three months after it launched an incursion into northeastern Syria against a Kurdish militia.

Turkeyhas already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations arms embargo, according to a UNreport seen last month.

The Tripoli government and Haftar's forces were not immediately available for reaction toErdogan's comments.

Erdoganvisited Tunisia on Wednesday to discuss cooperation for a possible ceasefire in neighbouringLibya. On Thursday, he saidTurkeyand Tunisia had agreed to support the GNA.

Moscow has voiced concerns over a possible Turkish military deployment toLibyain support of the GNA.Erdoganhas saidTurkeywill not stay silent over mercenaries from the Kremlin-linked Wagner group supporting Haftar.

"Russia is there with 2,000 Wagner (fighters),"Erdogansaid on Thursday, also referring to some 5,000 fighters from Sudan inLibya. "Is the official government inviting them? No."

"They are all helping a war baron (Haftar), whereas we are accepting an invitation from the legitimate government of the country. That is our difference," he added.

Haftar's eastern-basedLibyan National Army has been trying since April to take Tripoli from the GNA, which was set up in 2016 following a U.N.-brokered deal.

Turkish and Russian officials held talks in Moscow this week to seek a compromise on the issues of bothLibyaand Syria. Russia's Vedomosti said on Thursday the discussions had lasted much longer than the expected three days.

In Syria, Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whileTurkeyhas backed rebels seeking his ouster during the more than eight-year civil war. The latest talks follow reports that Russian-backed attacks were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towardsTurkey.

Turkeyhas also been ramping up efforts to strike deals with nations around the Mediterranean, where Ankara has been at loggerheads with Greece over resources off the coast of the divided island of Cyprus.