Germany urges Haftar to halt offensive on Tripoli

BERLIN

Germany has called on east Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar on Monday to immediately stop military offensive on the capital city of Tripoli.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, government spokesman Steffen Seibert reaffirmed Germany’s strong support for UN’s efforts to stop clashes between rival forces in Libya.

“We are calling on those responsible, especially General Haftar and his so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), to immediately stop military operations,” Seibert said, and urged conflict parties to refrain from rhetoric that can further escalate the situation.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr told reporters that recent developments in Libya was an agenda item in today’s EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

“We are working to define a common EU position, this is very important,” she stressed.

On Thursday, Haftar launched a military campaign to recapture Tripoli from the UN-backed government.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, to which Haftar is linked, and another in Tripoli.