<p>ADDS MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH FM, QATARI COUNTERPART</p> <p> <p>By Ali Murat Alhas, Sena Guler and Sibel Morrow</p> <p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – The recent escalation in Libya should be tackled through dialogue instead of military aggression, Turkey’s foreign minister said Tuesday.</p> <p> <p>"The unity and solidarity of Libya should be ensured through a conference to be organized by the UN, not with military intervention," Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.</p> <p> <p>Cavusoglu said Turkey recognized and backed Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), emphasizing that the international community and the UN were striving to put an end to the campaign against Tripoli by Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar.</p> <p> <p>He underlined that seeking a resolution in Libya through a military campaign would bring nothing but disaster to Libya and its people.</p> <p> <p>Al Thani said Qatar disapproved of Haftar's military campaign because it violates international law.</p> <p> <p>"Qatar stands with [the Government of] National Accord in Libya, for it is a government recognized by the UN. We wish for peace and stability in Libya," he added.</p> <p> <p>Last Thursday, Haftar, a military commander based in eastern Libya, launched military operations with an ambitious campaign to capture the capital Tripoli, where the UN-backed GNA is headquartered. After initial success, however, the campaign appeared to have lost momentum Monday.</p> <p> <p>Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody, NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of strongman Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.</p> <p> <p>Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Benghazi, with which Haftar is associated, and another in Tripoli, which has UN support.</p> <p><br></p> <p>- US decision on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards </p> <p>Cavusoglu commented on Washington’s unprecedented move to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization" Monday.</p> <p> <p>"Such decisions pave the way for instability in our region," he asserted, adding this move was not plausible and contradictory.</p> <p> <p>He criticized the U.S. for cooperating with the PKK terror group’s Syrian offshoot the YPG in northern Syria.</p> <p> <p>"It is a contradiction that the U.S., which collaborates with a terror group, designates another country's official army as a terrorist organization," he said. </p> <p>He stressed that Turkey did not favor the IRGC's activities in Syria, but it does not mean it views Iran's army as a terror group.</p> <p>On the same topic, Thani said: "We don't agree with this unilateral decision. Everything should be resolved through dialogue…We want peace and stability to be dominant in the region."</p> <p>- Palestine</p> <p>Al Thani said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statement regarding the annexation of the West Bank was another topic discussed in the meeting. </p> <p>"We are striving to bring the Palestinian parties together [especially to protect the Palestinian territories] and ensure a reconciliation," he said. </p> <p>"Our purpose is to ensure the unity and solidarity of our Palestinian brothers. The Palestinian cause — particularly the status of Jerusalem — is our common cause. We will continue to protect the Palestinian cause together," he said.</p> <p><br></p> <p>- Qatar’s role as mediator between Taliban, US </p> <p> <p>Al Thani went on to say that Qatar was functioning as a mediator between the Taliban and the U.S.</p> <p>"We strive to achieve peace in Afghanistan," he said. </p> <p>Cavusoglu saluted Qatar's efforts to hammer out a peace agreement.</p> <p>"Our overall goal is the stability and peace of Afghanistan," he said.</p> <p>The Taliban and the U.S. said after a marathon round of talks in Qatar in February that a draft agreement has been reached for the eventual withdrawal of troops and guarantees that Afghanistan would not be allowed to turn into a terrorism hub.</p> <p>The next round of talks is set to take place later this month but no exact dates have been announced. The U.S.-led talks are aimed at ending the country’s 17-year war.</p> <p>- Turkey’s role in Islamic World</p> <p><br></p> <p>Al Thani also said Qatar thanked Turkey for its efforts in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) amid recent developments within Islamic countries. </p> <p>"We want Turkey to play a more powerful role in the Islamic world," he said.</p> <br><br><br>

