Libya's military commander Haftar secretly flees to Greece ahead of Berlin summit

On Thursday Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar secretly fled to Athens amidst Greece's exclusion from the talks in Berlin this weekend. Haftar flew to Athens by private plane on Thursday for meetings not previously announced by the Greek government. He was taken to a luxury hotel in Athens where he met Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, according to local TV footage. Dendias is also scheduled to meet Haftar again on Friday at the foreign ministry, where the military commander is also expected to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

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The Berlin conference is the latest international effort to end the nine months of fighting between Haftar's forces based in the east of Libya and the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, according to a Qatari television agency. Greece had slammed its exclusion from the UN-backed peace conference and had not been invited to take part in Berlin negotiations despite its stated interest. 

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Agenda for the Berlin summit

The focus of the summit is to push for maintaining the ongoing ceasefire between all powers. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will also attend the Berlin summit. The countries will also talk about getting all foreign powers to withdraw from the conflict in the North African country, according to the State Department. Officials from Russia, Britain, France, China, United Arab Emirates, Turkey as well as several African and Arab countries have also been invited to attend the conference. 

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Link between Greece and Libya

Greece has been seeking a more active role in Libya after the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli signed a maritime and military cooperation memorandum with Turkey in November seeking more influence in the Mediterranean. Greece had expelled the GNA ambassador in protest over the Turkish agreement and sought to boost links with Libyan military commander Haftar. Hafar's assault on Tripoli in April last year had sparked fighting that killed more than 280 civilians and 2,000 fighters, displacing thousands.

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(With Agency Inputs)