Russia backs intention of Libya’s 2 main rival leaders for a ceasefire – Lavrov

Russia supports the intention of Libya’s two main rival leaders for a ceasefire and to hold elections early in 2018, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.

Lavrov said that the Kremlin support the agreement reached between National Army Commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez Sarraj,

“We are aware of the efforts being made with your participation, with the participation of Sarraj, which are aimed at ensuring generally acceptable agreements on optimal ways of implementing the Skhirat agreement.

“We support your set toward reaching such agreements,” Lavrov said at a meeting with Haftar in Moscow.

On Aug, 3, the head of the Russian contact group on intra-Libyan settlement Lev Dengov said Russia was thinking of holding intra-Libyan talks, which could eventually take place in Moscow or Grozny, the capital city of Russia’s republic of Chechnya.

Dengov told Sputnik Saturday that Russia would contribute to constructive dialogue between the conflicting parties in Libya.

On July 25, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sarraj and Haftar agreed on a plan to take Libya out of crisis during their meeting in France, held earlier on the same day.

However, in early August Rome decided to send its military ships to Libyan territorial waters to help combat illegal migration at the request of Sarraj.

In response, Haftar accused Italy and Sarraj of violating the arrangements reached during the July meeting after.

After Libya’s longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, the state has been governed by rival governments.

Namely, the Council of Deputies based in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based General National Congress.

The two governments agreed to create the Government of National Accord, to form the Presidency Council and to end the political impasse in late 2015.

Backed by the UN, the GNA in Tripoli, presently headed by Sarraj, started its work in late March 2016, however, the Tobruk parliament did not support it.