Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1243341
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MAY 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 But it also wants to force the EU's hand, which is current- ly launching its naval opera- tion Irini to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, but which disproportionately af- fects the GNA, whose weapons are mostly supplied by Turkey by sea. The operation has lit- tle impact on the GNA's rival, military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan Nation- al Army receives supplies by air and land across the Lib- ya-Egypt border, as well as from the United Arab Emir- ates. These are harder to track, and impossible for Irini to in- tercept. Malta's rapprochement with Turkey will irk the Europe- an Commission and France, in particular, which supports Haftar, who currently controls Eastern Libya. "Malta faces a humanitarian crisis with the Central Mediterranean wide open for traffickers. Irini has replaced Operation Sophia and is not concerned with migrant rescues. So Malta is courting Ankara in a bid to influence the GNA but also force Europe's hand," an insider said. The first three months has seen a 400% increase in migrant arrivals in the Central Mediter- ranean but close to nil in the Eastern side of Libya, which is blockaded by EU vessels. Operation Irini – Greek for "peace" – uses ships, aerial and satellite assets, to prevent arms entering Libya. But the opera- tion is logistically coordinated by the Greek navy, which is itself inimical to Turkish mili- tary interests. On Friday, a re- quest by the GNA's coast guard to an Irini vessel to effect a mi- grant boat rescue was refused after the ship said this did not fall under its competence. On Friday, Malta also an- nounced that Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri had started informal talks with Turkish national defence min- ister Hulusu Akar, in a bid to build serious bridges with Tur- key and 'unsettle' the EU's big member states. Malta imports over €300 million worth of goods from Turkey, and recently awarded a major roadworks project to a Turkish construction com- pany. "Malta will try to build on this goodwill to court the Turkish government's favour: the Freeport is 50% owned by Yildirim, the Valletta Cruise Port plc is a subsidiary of Glob- al Liman Isletmeleri, and there are around 500 Turkish-owned investments, even banks, in Malta," a source said. MaltaToday is also informed that the government could have actively encouraged law enforcement authorities to take action on the alleged breach of United Nations sanctions on Libya, by the arms dealer James Fenech, whose company Sov- ereign Charterers supplied rig- id-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) in Libya to a "very reputable and globally-known company operating in the UAE" in June 2019. The suspicion is that the UAE company is a front to allow pri- vate military contractors access to Libya in support of Haftar's forces. Fenech, who denies the charg- es and is out on bail, insisted his company chartered the two vessels for companies in oil and gas. The police counter-terror- ism squad says the vessels were exported to Libya without the permission of the Maltese au- thorities, in case an emergency evacuation was required by the Emirati company. THE EU's new Libya op- eration risks making mat- ters worse for attempts to put diplomatic pressure on Khalifa Haftar's backers for a ceasefire. The EU could fuel more fighting and undermine Europe's credibility as an honest broker, because the operation stops mainly weapons from Turkey to the GNA and not Haftar's backers Egypt and the UAE. Egypt and the UAE have backed Haftar for many years, and more recently Russia has also provided him with support. Turkey only recently began back- ing the GNA with military assistance in exchange for a controversial maritime agreement that divides up much of the Eastern Med- iterranean between Turkey and Libya. And this has angered Greece, which is logistical- ly running Operation Ir- ini, because it cuts into its Exclusive Economic Zone around Crete. Operation Irini replac- es Operation Sophia, the maritime mission launched in 2015 to replace Opera- tion Mare Nostrum, and to disrupt human trafficking from North Africa to Eu- rope but also train Libya's coastguard. Now Irini will only enforce the UN em- bargo, as well as police il- licit exports of Libyan oil, curb human trafficking, and train the Libyan coast- guard. As usual, the EU is di- vided on these operations: right-wing governments in Austria and Hungary say European military vessels in the Mediterranean are a 'pull factor' by encouraging more migrants to try the dangerous crossing if there is a chance that they get rescued at sea. But while Irini's focus is at sea, the operation has little impact on Haftar's oper- ations, who receives sup- plies by air and land across the Libya-Egypt border. These are harder to track, and impossible for Irini to intercept. So that means Irini could strengthen Haftar's relative position. In fact, it could encourage him not to halt the siege of Tripoli or agree to a ceasefire. It also fails to put any pressure on Egypt or the UAE to restrain him at a time when the coro- navirus pandemic spreads through Libya. If Irini weakens the GNA, it would indirectly make it possible for Haftar to over- throw an international- ly-recognised government of the country. Further adding intrigue to the mix is that France supports Haftar because they see the strongman as a guarantee of stability in the region against terror- ists. Turkey's support of the GNA also has meant that Greece and Cyprus are turning towards Haftar, because their ultimate aim is to prevent Turkey from having influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is even questionable whether Haftar's back- ing from Egypt and Russia makes him friendly to the EU. The GNA too has its flaws. But it is a UN-backed government and has re- cently said it would accept a truce. Why EU's Irini could help arm Haftar against GNA Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, left, has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of supporting a 'dictator' in General Khalifa Haftar, right Malta knocks on Ankara's door for help with GNA MATTHEW VELLA THE arms dealer James Fenech has denied to MaltaToday that he has supplied "military assets" to the UAE-registered companies Opus Capital Asset, and Lancaster 6 (DMCC), after police launched an investigation into the use of RHIBS by personnel with links to the Emirati government and its ef- forts to arm Libyan warlord Khal- ifa Haftar. Fenech said he "categorically de- nied" having supplied two RHIBS that are suspected of having been used by private military contrac- tors in Libya in support of Haftar's Libyan National Army, which is backed by the UAE. Fenech was charged last week of breaching UN sanctions on Libya, through the illegal export of the RHIBs back in June 2019. The charges also come late in the day, with news of the RHIBS hav- ing already made the Maltese news last year. The arms dealer has insisted the RHIBS were contracted to a UAE client solely for evacuation pur- poses. "Both RHIBS were contracted on a purely 'bare boat' charter basis: no Maltese crew was used. They left Malta carrying all the neces- sary permits both from Customs as well as from the police immi- Arms dealer sanctions links with