Head of Intl' Mission in Libya Acknowledges Political Progress

The head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Ghassan Salama acknowledged some progress has been made in Libya political track.

“Progress has been made on many important issues and we have before us a significant number of points of convergence”, said Salama. “Is this complete? Certainly not, and that is why we are still working on refining our basic draft and on bridging the gap on a few points of pergence…that still exist between the two delegations.”

His remarks came as talks in the Swiss city went on. The talks form part of a renewed international push for peace in the oil-rich North African country.

“During these talks, the negotiators would be certainly helped by more calm on the fronts and by the absence of any act - provocative act - on the military side,” the UN official said on Thursday, in reference to ongoing clashes.

Earlier in a session at the Security Council, Russia objected a British draft resolution on Libya, which, according to diplomats, included the term "mercenaries".

"There are clauses in the resolution that are problematic," said Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia.

According to media reports, the amendments that Russia requested to make, including replacing the word "mercenaries in Libya" with "foreign terrorist fighters."

Western countries accuse Russia of sending personnel to Libya to fight there.

The Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, started a decisive operation to liberate the capital, Tripoli, from the militias supporting the Al-Wefaq government led by Faiz Al-Sarraj.

Turkey decided last January to send soldiers and military advisers to fight alongside Al-Saraj militia. On Wedensday, the "Associated Press" agency quoted sources that Turkey sent 4 thousand members of terrorist organizations in Syria to Libya, to participate in the war there.

Earlier, countries pledged at the conclusion of a conference held last January in the German capital Berlin, to abide by the international arms ban on Libya and not to interfere in the internal affairs of this country.

Meanwhile, the Saudi foreign minister arrived in Algeria for talks on the latest developments in the situation in Libya. Hours before the visit, Al-Saraj government canceled the visit of the Algerian Foreign Minister, Sabri Boukadoum to the capital, Tripoli, in protest against an earlier visit he made to Benghazi, where he met the leader of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Hafter.