Libyan leader Khalifa Haftar helps free 3 seized Filipinos
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Mon, 20 May 2019 08:27:54 +0000
HAFTAR (Reuters)
Libyan military strongman Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, played a key role in the release of three Filipino engineers who were abducted in western Libya 10 months ago.
This surfaced as the government denied paying ransom for the release of the three Filipinos and their Korean co-worker.
“No money passed. Not a friggin’ cent. What we had was far better; what we had and have forever were old friends abroad to help. Semper fi,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said in a tweet over the weekend.
The United Arab Emirates on Friday announced the release of the hostages, saying the effort was made in coordination between the Abu Dhabi government and the Haftar-led LNA.
“As a result of a solid cooperation and coordination between the UAE and the Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, search efforts had continued and resulted in finding them safely,” the UAE said.
The UAE foreign ministry said they communicated with the LNA for the release of the civilians “upon receiving requests from the Philippines and South Korea.”
“The release of these innocent civilians has been made after intensive efforts to convey a message about the significance and importance of strengthening security and peace in Libya, and to contain criminal practices by armed groups who hold civilians captive without any consideration to international charters and norms,” the UAE said.
Last month, Haftar ordered his self-styled forces to advance to Libya’s capital of Tripoli in direct confrontation with the internationally recognized Government of National Accord led by Fayez al-Sarraj.
The Tripoli-based GNA was established under a United Nations-brokered Libyan Political Agreement in December 2015.
The Filipinos and their Korean co-worker were abducted by armed men at the Great Man-made River Project in western Libyan in July 2018.
The Philippine government had reportedly encountered difficulties in negotiating for the release of the OFWs due to the complicated situation in Libya. (Roy Mabasa)