Panafrican News Agency

Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin call for an unconditional cessation of hostilities in Libya

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on Monday discussed the situation in Libya, calling for "the immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities," said the press service of the Kremlin in a statement quoted Tuesday by Libyan newspapers.

President Putin hailed the efforts of German Chancellor Merkel "to resume the Libyan dialogue and to engage more actively the international community in the search for a peaceful solution to the problem," the statement said.

In December, Berlin will host an international conference on Libya to unify international positions on the crisis, mobilize support from the major members of the Security Council, to end the fighting and urge local parties to return to the political process led by the UN.

For that, it is expected that the Berlin meeting will lead to the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution decreeing a ceasefire, deploying neutral observers for the control of the ceasefire, creating a committee monitoring the implementation of a possible agreement to be concluded between the Libyan belligerents, after fostering the restoration of trust between them, through reciprocal measures of release of prisoners and restitution of mortal remains.

On the ground, fighting resumed on Sunday on the outskirts of Tripoli, after a brief lull for the occasion of Maouloud, feast of the commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Mohamed, celebrated last Saturday.

Armed clashes erupted between the warring parties on April 4 near in Tripoli, as the forces of the Libyan National Army, based in the East and led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and troops of the Army loyal to the Government of National Unity in the Libyan capital, chaired by Fayez al-Sarraj and recognized by the international community.

-0- PANA BY/JSG/KND/VAO 12Nov2019