Doha Visit Extremely Successful, Libyan Army Chief Tells QNA

Doha, March 12 (QNA) - Libyan Chief of Staff Gen. Youssef al-Mankoush said that his visit to Doha was extremely successful and that he found all kinds of support to enhancing cooperation between Qatar and Libya, especially in the military field. "We found all sorts of cooperation from our brothers in Qatar. Their hearts were open to us before their doors," al-Mankoush said in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA). Al-Mankoush highlighted the brotherly talks he held in Qatar that, he said, supported and still supports the Libyan revolution. The Libyan army chief pointed to the ongoing military cooperation between Libya and Qatar and said that the visit discussed enhancing this cooperation to reach higher and more comprehensive levels. No agreements were signed during al-Mankoush's visit but preparations are underway for an agreement to be signed soon. As a part of Libya's process of restructuring army, Libyan officers have been participating in exchange programs with a number of countries including Qatar. "Last week, a delegation of specialized officers from the leaders of Libyan military educational institutions visited all of Qatar's military educational institutions and discussed a partnership between Libyan army institutions and Qatari military educational institutions," al-Mankoush said. Al-Mankoush praised the efforts of Gulf countries, notbaly Qatar, in supporting February 17 Revolution on the political and humanitarian levels alike. Libya's chief of staff said that his country is keen on changing the ugly image of the former regime that Libya was known for, and wants to establish friendly relationships as a member of the international community. Al-Mankoush said that projects of rebuilding Libya haven't launched yet due to the circumstances of the revolution, pointing to Qatar's stress on supporting Libya but no particular projects have been selected yet. Al-Mankoush pointed to a previous 120-billion rebuilding plan that was set to take place over five years, but said it's being reinvestigated over corruption allegations. Armed militias and the spread of arms throughout Libya has been a concern since the ouster of former strongman Muammar Gaddafi, but Libya's army chief believes this shouldn't be a problem because weapons are "in the hands of the rebels who liberated Libya, and they currently use the same weapon to maintain security in the country." However, al-Mankoush said that it's only a transitional phase and, eventually, weapons will be taken back from the rebels because Libya will be a civilian country and the rebels can't continue the state of revolution. He added also that the security that Libya has now is a clear sign that the rebels' arms isn't a threat. Al-Mankoush has categorically denied claims that weapons are being smuggled into Libya to remnants of Gaddafi's regime, and said that Libya has enough weapons and doesn't need more. Al-Mankoush criticized the former regime's obsession of buying arms and said that the new national army will protect the constitution and the territories, and will rely on quality rather than quanitiy taking into consideration Libya's long borders and small population. "There was no reason for the previous regime's stockpiling of weapons. It was done for special interests. Our policy is to build a modern army that depends on technology. Libya will have multiple sources of arming and we will choose what suits us the most," said al-Mankoush. Concluding his interview with QNA ,the military leader mourned Libya's martyrs and condoling their relatives, and wishing the wounded a speedy recovery. (QNA)