Putin, Merkel urge to intensify efforts for Libya

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on the international society Friday to intensify efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis.

In a phone talk initiated by the German side, the two leaders discussed the implementation of agreements, reached at the Berlin conference on Libya on Jan. 19, the Kremlin said in a statement on its official website.

"The Russian president noted the need for coordination with the Libyan parties of the decisions taken, which is important for their subsequent consideration and approval in the UN Security Council.

“Both sides stressed the need to increase the efforts of the international community in order to ensure a sustainable cessation of hostilities and launch a political dialogue [in Libya]," the statement said.

In addition, Putin and Merkel exchanged views on the crisis in Ukraine and Syria and discussed the U.S. proposal on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, which U.S. President Donald Trump called "the Deal of the Century".