ATHENS, Greece — Greece will block any European peace deal on Libya unless an agreement between the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli and Turkey on maritime borders is scrapped, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned Thursday. Mitsotakis' comments during a TV interview came a day before his scheduled talks with Libyan Gen. Khalifa Hifter, whose forces are battling the Tripoli government. Hifter arrived in Athens late Thursday, and met Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. European Union-member Greece objects to the maritime border deal between the Tripoli government and Turkey, which ignores Greek sea rights in an area that is thought to contain potentially rich natural gas deposits. Mitsotakis described the Turkish-Libyan deal as "unacceptable and illegal" in his interview on private Alpha TV, adding that he has conveyed his intentions on blocking a potential peace deal to senior European officials.

Source: International New York Times January 16, 2020 20:03 UTC