UPDATE - Haftar forces accept Turkey, Russia call for cease-fire

ADDS HAFTAR SPOKESMAN REMARKS IN GRAF 2, DECK

By Enes Canli

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Forces loyal to Libya's renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar accepted Saturday a joint call by Turkey and Russia for a cease-fire.

Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said in a video message that forces accepted the cease-fire call but would respond fiercely if violated.

The move came minutes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held a phone conversation regarding Libya.

Erdogan and Putin urged a cease-fire Wednesday by Jan. 12, following a meeting in Istanbul.

The UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli welcomed the cease-fire call but Haftar rejected the suggestion.

On April 4, Haftar launched an offensive to capture Tripoli from the GNA. According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the operation and greater than 5,000 injured.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.