Libyan state council proposes cutting ties with UAE

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) - Libya's High Council of State on Tuesday recommended the presidential council of the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) cut ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The council in its 48th session considered the UAE in a state of "hostility and war" while retaining the right to respond to its attack by all means as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter.

The council called for "taking all legal measures in international forums against the UAE, as it is an essential direct partner [of commander Khalifa Haftar forces] in the aggression launched against Tripoli and in the massacre of the military school in particular."

At least 30 people were killed and 33 injured on Sunday when Haftar’s forces launched an airstrike on the dormitory of a military school in Tripoli, mainly targeting its students.

The council also recommended "reassessing relations with all countries that assist or communicate with the outlawed war criminal," referring to Haftar.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

In April, Haftar's forces launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli from the internationally recognized government.

On Dec. 12, Haftar announced that he ordered his militants to launch a "decisive battle" to capture the city.