Saddam Haftar is facing intense Turkish pressure to secure parliamentary ratification of the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum — a deal Athens, Cairo, Nicosia and Jerusalem have consistently rejected as illegal and void under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
According to Libyan journalist Ahmed Khalifa, citing security sources in Benghazi, Ankara is urging Saddam Haftar to press newly elected House of Representatives Speaker Al-Saleheen Abdul-Nabi to convene a session and ratify the agreement. Abdul-Nabi previously chaired the Libyan-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Committee. Turkish officials have reportedly warned that further delay could lead them to withdraw support for the Haftar family and redirect it toward factions in western Libya.
The 2019 memorandum, signed by the then-Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, draws a maritime boundary that completely disregards the full continental shelf and exclusive economic zone rights of Greek islands, including Crete. Greece, Egypt, Cyprus and Israel have long maintained that the deal produces no legal effects and infringes on the rights of third states.
The Turkish push comes after the recent replacement of longtime Speaker Aguila Saleh, who had repeatedly refused ratification amid opposition from Athens and Cairo. Lawmakers elected Abdul-Nabi earlier this month after imposing term limits that ended Saleh’s nearly 12-year tenure.
At the same time, sources report counter-pressure on Saddam Haftar from Israel — with backing from the UAE — to block the deal. The memorandum has been a core element of Turkey’s broader Blue Homeland claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, which Greece and its partners reject as contrary to international law.
Any ratification by the eastern-based parliament would give the disputed agreement greater political cover and further complicate efforts to establish legitimate maritime boundaries that respect island rights under UNCLOS.
Bill Giannopoulos
Junior Editor
Bill Giannopoulos is a Junior Editor at Greek City Times, covering Greek and international news, sport, and history.