PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2019) French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called on the parties to the Libyan conflict on Tuesday to end fighting as soon as possible and to return to the negotiation table.
"The latest news are not cheerful � fighting near Tripoli continues, there are dozens of fatalities, and we should fear more serious clashes ... The first goal is to introduce a ceasefire as soon as possible," Le Drian said in his address for the lower chamber of the French parliament, the National Assembly.
He stressed that this was a call on representatives of both rival parties � Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), and Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
Le Drian stressed that the Libyan rival governments had to resume dialogue based on the agreement that they had reached in Abu Dhabi in late February.
Sarraj and Haftar agreed back then to hold general elections in the country and to maintain stability.
"It is necessary to have a prospect for political settlement. A military solution cannot be in place in the country. There is a need for political settlement on a basis that both sides would more or less understand, through parliamentary and presidential elections that should be held before the end of the year," Le Drian added.
He stressed that Libya was strategically important for Mediterranean stability and counter-migration measures.
Libya has been suffering from unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. The country is divided between two rival governments, with an elected parliament governing the east and the UN and EU-backed GNA ruling the west from Tripoli.
The situation escalated last week, when the LNA, backed by the eastern government, announced on Thursday an offensive against Tripoli in a bid to oust what Haftar called terrorist forces from the city. In response, armed forces loyal to the GNA started a military operation against the LNA on Sunday.
