France Stresses Need for Ceasefire, Ending Foreign Interference in Libya

On Monday, the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held a telephone conversation with the Libya's Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayyez Al-Sarraj, the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that the talks stressed on the need to reach an immediate ceasefire between the Libyan warring parties, resume political negotiations within the framework of resolutions made during the Berlin Conference and to stop all foreign interference in Libya's affairs.

On his part, the French minister also stressed the necessity of reaching a rapid solution to end the escalating hostilities between the Libyan parties under the UN auspices for a lasting ceasefire in the 5+5 format, as agreed in Geneva on February 23.

Libya has drawn in regional and global powers with what the United Nations has called a huge influx of weapons and fighters in violation of an arms embargo.

Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Libyan conflict escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments, the GNA in the capital Tripoli and the eastern-based government allied with the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Libya and the Turkish interference

Turkey has sent more than 10,000 mercenaries to fight in Libya, according to the Director of Moral Guidance Department of the Libyan National Army Brigadier Khaled al-Mahjoub on Saturday.

In an interview with Sky News channel, Mahjoub noted that LNA detained 22 mercenaries, killed dozens of them, and seized 8 armed vehicles and 2 Turkish armored fighting vehicles in Tripoli battles over the past 24 hours.

“Over the past two days, LNA troops killed more than 26 terrorist leaders and over 140 Syrian mercenaries,” he added.

He also pointed to new techniques to eliminate the terrorists and mercenaries.

Earlier, LNA Spokesman Ahmed Al Mesmari said that the Libyan army offered many ceasefire chances but the Government of the National Accord, backed by Turkey, exploited the ceasefire.