Donald Trump, during a phone call with Libyan general Khalifa Haftar last week, supported the offensive in the country's capital to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
This was reported by "Bloomberg" as reported by some US officials aware of the dossier. A previous appeal by White House National Security Advisor John Bolton also left Haftar thinking that he had obtained the US green light to advance the forces of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) to Tripoli, the three said. diplomats.
These reports go beyond the statement released by the head of the White House last April 15, after the phone call with Haftar, a conversation that took place after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met the US president 9 April and has invited to support Haftar, according to two people who are familiar with the issue. Trump also spoke with Abu Dhabi, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a supporter of Haftar.
The position of the White House towards Haftar represented a change of course compared to what was publicly declared, a few days earlier, by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who on April 7 had stated: "We have made it clear that we oppose the military offensive of the by Khalifa Haftar and we urge the immediate stop of these military operations against the Libyan capital ”. Washington's ambiguous position at the United Nations Security Council also reinforces what "Bloomberg" reported: initially the United States supported the UK's efforts to stop Haftar's forces, only to suddenly change course , blocking efforts to pass a resolution.