Khalifa Haftar, Libya’s eastern military commander, has told France’s president he will sign a ceasefire and stick to it if militias backed by the internationally recognized government respect it, a French presidency official said on Monday, APA reports quoting Reuters.
“Marshal Haftar assured (us) that he was committed to signing the ceasefire but this commitment would cease if the militias do not respect it,” the official said after Haftar met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The official gave no further details.
Despite a peace conference held in Berlin in January, violence has increased in Libya, with combatants in the west and east preparing for a long conflict as foreign weapons flood in, eastern factions close oil ports and rival alliances wrangle over revenues from Africa’s largest petroleum reserves.
After the Berlin conference the violations increased and the U.N. denounced them without naming countries.
The Libyan National Army led by Haftar and forces aligned with the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli have been fighting for control of the capital since April last year.
“Haftar is one of the main actors on the Libyan political scene and must be taken into consideration,” the French presidential official said.
The official said there were no plans for Macron to meet or speak to the head of the Tripoli government, Fayez Seraj.
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