UK supports cease-fire, political solution in Libya

TRIPOLI

The British ambassador to Libya said that the UK supports a political solution in Libya.

Nicholas Hopton and Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj spoke by phone on Thursday, according to a written statement by the Libyan government.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the latest developments in Libya, bilateral relations, improving coordination and communication between the two countries and a number of areas for joint cooperation.

The Libyan army on Thursday said militias loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar violated a recently declared cease-fire.

On Aug. 21, the Presidential Council of the internationally-recognized Libyan government and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, which supports warlord Khalifa Haftar, agreed on an immediate cease-fire. Their two statements met on common points, most notably the truce and holding of presidential and parliamentary elections.

The agreement was widely welcomed by the international community and particularly Arab countries, but Haftar's militia rejected it.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by forces loyal to Haftar that has claimed thousands of lives.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz