Merkel meets Haftar to discuss Libya crisis

Libya’s commander Khalifa Haftar met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday, a day after he met with French president Emmanuel Macron in a bid to secure a ceasefire in the war-torn country.
Merkel reiterated the importance of finding a political solution for Libya, where Haftar’s forces, the LNA, have been fighting the UN-recognized GNA since last April.
In recent months, peace negotiations in Berlin were led by Turkey and Russia, which support the rival factions in the conflict. However, the efforts to exclude foreign interference in the war have repeatedly been violated, as the rivals’ allies keep providing them with arms. The GNA is backed by Turkey, while the LNA is supported by France, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt.
Merkel’s spokesman said that she stressed there can be no military solution to the conflict and that “a ceasefire and progress in the political process, in line with the decisions of the Berlin conference, are necessary”.
During his earlier meeting with Macron, Haftar promised he would commit to a ceasefire with the GNA, and “assured that he was ready to sign the ceasefire document, but this commitment would end if the militias do not respect it”, according to officials.