Italy seeks Libya ceasefire as PM Conte holds talks with Haftar

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held talks with Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar during a surprise visit to Rome on Thursday, calling for an end to his month-long assault on Tripoli. “We want a ceasefire and we feel that the political path is the only solution,” Conte told reporters.

Haftar’s bid to unseat UN-backed premier Fayez al-Serraj and take control of the Libyan capital has reached a military and political impasse after a month of fighting, AFP said.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Haftar in the middle of next week to discuss how to resume peace talks in the country, Reuters quoted a French presidential source as saying on Thursday.

Macron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting Serraj.