The Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Sayala has called on regional powers including the United States to take a clear stance regarding the offensive of Khalifa Haftar's forces against Tripoli.
Sayala said, commenting on the statement of the spokeswoman of the US Department of State, that the offensive on the capital and Libyan Army locations, especially the forces which were fighting ISIS, is the reason behind the ongoing crisis, adding that the Tripoli-based government is the only legitimate government in Libya and the only representative of the Libyan people.
Sayala added that Haftar’s offensive on Tripoli is getting in the way of stability and building a civilian state without the totalitarian rule in Libya.
The US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement Saturday that the US was concerned about the Haftar forces' threat to use foreign-supplied air assets and mercenaries."
"External military intervention threatens prospects for resolving the conflict. We deplore attacks on innocent civilians and call on all sides to refrain from escalation," Ortagus said.
She said the US is ready to work with the UN and all parties to start political negotiations, adding that the US-Libyan comprehensive economic dialogue showed constructive progress foreign that can be achieved if foreign actors gave Libyans the environment and time to sit together.
