Head of Libya's Tripoli gov't calls for truce talks

By Hajer Baser

TRIPOLI (AA) – Forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar should withdraw from all positions near Tripoli and engage in ceasefire talks, Fayez al-Sarraj, head of Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), said Thursday.

“It’s preposterous to talk about a ceasefire before the aggressors return to where they came from,” al-Sarraj told reporters.

“The battlefield situation has stabilized,” he added, “but we remain fully prepared to defend Tripoli.”

In early April, Haftar, who commands forces loyal to a rival government based in eastern Libya, launched a campaign to capture the capital, where the GNA is headquartered.

Within the last four weeks, dozens have been killed -- from both sides -- in on-again, off-again clashes on Tripoli’s outskirts.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising after almost four decades in power.

Since then, the oil-rich country has seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition.