Libya rivals leave Moscow, no peace deal signed

Turkey threatens to ‘teach lesson’ to Haftar

Libya’s rival leaders have left Moscow without reaching agreement on a cease-fire deal proposed by Russia and Turkey in an effort to bring an end to the country’s long-running civil war.

Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-recognized government in Tripoli, and his rival Khalifa Hifter came to Moscow on Monday to discuss a truce with top diplomats and military officials from Russia and Turkey. The talks lasted about seven hours, and Sarraj and Hifter didn’t meet directly.

After the meetings, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, announced that Sarraj signed the draft document spelling out the details of the proposed cease-fire deal, while Hifter requested more time to consider it.

Russian Foreign Ministry said yesterday morning that Hifter left Moscow without signing the deal. Russian news agencies reported yesterday that Sarraj had also left.

Lavrov said that efforts to broker a peace deal will continue. “We all work in the same direction and urge all the sides (of the conflict) in Libya to negotiate instead of trying to sort things out violently,” the minister said Tuesday.

Tripoli-based official Khaled al-Mashri told Libya al-Ahrar TV that Hifter asked for four days to consider various sticking points in the cease-fire deal. He said he expects invitations to a peace conference in Berlin to follow later this week.

Another report from Ankara adds: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he would “teach a lesson” to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar if he resumed fighting after abandoning ceasefire talks in Moscow.

Haftar left Moscow on Tuesday without signing a peace deal aimed at ending nine months of fighting with the UN-backed government in Tripoli. “We will not hesitate to teach a deserved lesson to the putschist Haftar if he continues his attacks on the country’s legitimate administration and our brothers in Libya,” Erdogan told a meeting of his party in Ankara in a televised speech.

Erdogan said the issue would now be discussed at talks in Berlin on Sunday attended by European, North African and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the UN, EU, Africa Union and Arab League.

 

Libya rivals leave Moscow, no peace deal signed

Turkey threatens to teach lesson to Haftar

Libyas rival leaders have left Moscow without reaching agreement on a cease-fire deal proposed by Russia and Turkey in an effort to bring an end to the countrys long-running civil war. Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libyas UN-recognized government in Tripoli, and his rival Khalifa Hifter came to Moscow on Monday to discuss a truce with top diplomats and military officials from Russia and Turkey. The talks lasted about seven hours, and Sarraj and Hifter didnt meet directly. After the meetings, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, announced that Sarraj signed the draft document spelling out the details of the proposed cease-fire deal, while Hifter requested more time to consider it. Russian Foreign Ministry said yesterday morning that Hifter left Moscow without signing the deal. Russian news agencies reported yesterday that Sarraj had also left. Lavrov said that efforts to broker a peace deal will continue. We all work in the same direction and urge all the sides (of the conflict) in Libya to negotiate instead of trying to sort things out violently, the minister said Tuesday. Tripoli-based official Khaled al-Mashri told Libya al-Ahrar TV that Hifter asked for four days to consider various sticking points in the cease-fire deal. He said he expects invitations to a peace conference in Berlin to follow later this week. Another report from Ankara adds: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he would teach a lesson to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar if he resumed fighting after abandoning ceasefire talks in Moscow. Haftar left Moscow on Tuesday without signing a peace deal aimed at ending nine months of fighting with the UN-backed government in Tripoli. We will not hesitate to teach a deserved lesson to the putschist Haftar if he continues his attacks on the countrys legitimate administration and our brothers in Libya, Erdogan told a meeting of his party in Ankara in a televised speech. Erdogan said the issue would now be discussed at talks in Berlin on Sunday attended by European, North African and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the UN, EU, Africa Union and Arab League.