Germany, France, Italy Call For Ceasefire In Libya, Return To UN-Brokered Talks

Germany, France, Italy Call for Ceasefire in Libya, Return to UN-Brokered Talks

Germany, France and Italy called for a halt in hostilities in Libya and a return to negotiations under UN auspices, according to a statement published on Friday after a meeting between the heads of the three states and governments in Brussels

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2019) Germany, France and Italy called for a halt in hostilities in Libya and a return to negotiations under UN auspices, according to a statement published on Friday after a meeting between the heads of the three states and governments in Brussels.

"The Leaders call on all Libyan and international parties to refrain from taking military action, genuinely commit to a comprehensive and lasting cessation of hostilities and re-engage into a credible UN-led negotiation," the joint statement says.

The participants in the meeting reaffirmed their support for the UN and its special envoy, Ghassan Salame, and stressed that long-term peace in Libya is possible only with a political settlement.

Work on the decision will continue at the Berlin Conference on Libya, which is set to be held soon, the statement says.

Libya has been facing unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown and killed. The two rival governments, the UN-recognized Tripoli-based Government of National Accord and the eastern-based parliament backed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), have split the country in half. In April, the situation deteriorated when the LNA launched an offensive to take control of Tripoli.