Belhaj: triggering war in Tripoli will burn Tunisia and war will reach Algeria

Leader of Libya’s Al-Watan party Abdelhakim Belhaj Thursday said triggering a war in Tripoli will burn Tunisia and the war will reach Algeria.

Belhaj hailed Algeria’s role in solving the Libyan crisis. He condemned the Egyptian and Emirati roles, accusing them of fuelling the situation.

He told an Arab TV channel that he will face General Khalifa Haftar who had announced that a battle to liberate Tripoli broke out.

Belhaj was the chairman of the Tripoli Military Council during the Libyan Revolution.

“The mess led by Haftar in the east of Libya destroyed Benghazi city. We do not want it tod destroy Tripoli. Triggering a war in Tripoli will burn Tunisia and the war will reach Algeria. If so, we will have the right to attack after achieving victory in the western area by liberating Sirte from ISIS,” he said.

Speaking about Russian support to Haftar, Belhaj said he will resist against any foreign interference. “A military intervention is meant to trigger a war so that Tripoli would become like Benghazi. Egypt and the UAE want to raise conflicts.”

Asked about the Algerian and Tunisian’s role, he expressed his satisfaction and described it as “positive.

Belhaj paid a series of visits to Algeria in the last two years. Some were publically announced as part of dialogue rounds sponsored by the UN and others were confidential.

Earlier, media reports had accused Belhaj of being involved in the Tiguentourine terror attack in January 2013.

“Anyone who has evidences about those accusations can show them,” he had told Echorouk.

“I do not need any invitation to visit Algeria. I visit it whenever I want to,” he had added.