Head of Libya's Tripoli gov't calls for truce talks

TRIPOLI

Forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar should withdraw from all positions near Tripoli and engage in ceasefire talks, Fayez al-Sarraj, head of Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), said Thursday.

“It’s preposterous to talk about a ceasefire before the aggressors return to where they came from,” al-Sarraj told reporters.

“The battlefield situation has stabilized,” he added, “but we remain fully prepared to defend Tripoli.”

In early April, Haftar, who commands forces loyal to a rival government based in eastern Libya, launched a campaign to capture the capital, where the GNA is headquartered.

Within the last four weeks, dozens have been killed -- from both sides -- in on-again, off-again clashes on Tripoli’s outskirts.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising after almost four decades in power.

Since then, the oil-rich country has seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition.