The Speaker of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) Aqilah Saleh sent a delegation days ago to negotiate with Derna Shura Council, Mohammed Edriss Al-Mansouri, a media official at the council, reported.

On Facebook, Al-Mansouri added that the delegation met with some of the Derna Shura Council officials in Karsa town, 20 km away from the city, and informed them about Saleh's intent to end the military conflict between the council's fighters and the forces of Dignity Operation, led by Khalifa Haftar.

"Saleh's put on the table, via his delegation, no preconditions and has agreed to leave the Derna Shura Council's fighters armed and in their positions to protect Derna, without clashing with Haftar's forces." He further explained.

Al-Mansouri also said that as a good gesture, the council conditioned the kick off of the negotiation with the delegation to the release of the Derna residents who are arrested based on their IDs by Dignity Operation forces.

Derna has been plagued by a siege that has been weighing on the city heavily for months by the so-called Omar Al-Mukhtar Operation Room of Dignity Operation.

The siege disallows foods and basic goods as well as humanitarian and medical assistances to enter the city, which goes under heavy bombardment by Haftar's warplanes and artillery every now and then in an attempt to advance on Derna Shura Council's positions, let alone the kidnap and arrests of Derna locals across the eastern region.