EU calls on warring sides in Libya to stop fighting, join peace efforts

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News ID: 46451
Publish Date: 12:21 - 10 June 2020
The European Union (EU) has called on all warring parties in Libya to instantly halt military operations there and take part in constructive peace talks.

EU calls on warring sides in Libya to stop fighting, join peace effortsIn a joint statement released on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Italy urged all sides to the conflict in Libya to immediately agree on a truce deal and withdraw all foreign forces, mercenaries, and military hardware.

The statement followed intensified diplomatic activity by Germany to press for a political solution to the Libyan conflict, with Chancellor Angela Merkel raising concerns in a Tuesday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the recent escalation of fighting around the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

The German leader had also on Monday discussed Libya with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Libyan rebels under the command of a military strongman, named Khalifa Haftar, have been fighting to overtake Tripoli and unseat the internationally-recognized government of Libya for over a year. Haftar receives backing from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, and Russia.

The Libyan government receives backing from Turkey.

Berlin has insisted that a peace process for Libya launched in Germany on the auspices of the United Nations (UN) be solely pursued. Egypt has unilaterally proposed a parallel process.

 
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