Hifter meets the Russian Minister of Defense .. Al-Sarraj: Peace negotiations have been overtaken by events

Today, Wednesday, the Russian Information Agency quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu as saying that he met with retired Major General Khalifa Hifter and agreed with him that a political settlement is the only option in the country, while Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj confirmed that talk of continuing peace negotiations was overtaken by events amid continuing Bombing.

The Russian news agency "TASS" quoted the ministry as saying that the two sides "discussed the situation in Libya, and stressed the importance of the talks that took place in Moscow on January 13 in order to stabilize the ceasefire and launch a process to normalize the situation in the country."

The agency added that Shoigu and Haftar stressed the need to adhere to the decisions of the Berlin Conference on Libya, and noted that "there is no alternative to settling the internal Libyan political crisis by political means."

The two parties also affirmed the "firm commitment to Libya's independence, unity, and territorial integrity." According to Russian media, the meeting took place in Moscow.

Resume conversations
These developments come as Al-Wefaq Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said his government first wanted a strong signal from international parties before the ceasefire talks could resume, according to Reuters news agency.

Al-Sarraj told reporters in the port of Tripoli that Haftar forces bombed yesterday, that there must first be "a clear message from all the international parties that are trying to talk to us."

For his part, the Presidential Council of the Al-Wefaq Government in Libya announced the suspension of its participation in the ongoing military talks in Geneva until the international community took what it described as resolute positions of Hifter's violations of the declared truce.

Bombing and victims
On the ground, a medical source in the Al-Wefaq government said that the bombing carried out by Haftar forces on the port of Tripoli killed three civilians and wounded five others.

Yesterday, Haftar forces bombed the Tripoli sea port with several rocket-propelled grenades, targeting the port's facilities, installations and internal berth.

Pictures showed smoke rising from a ship anchored inside the port of Tripoli. A source from the port said that tankers carrying fuel and gas were removed from the port in a precautionary measure.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country will continue to support the legitimate government of Tripoli until it imposes its control over the entire country, noting that the countries concerned with the Libyan crisis are beginning to accept the situation imposed by Ankara in the Mediterranean.

Save the talks
Meanwhile, the United Nations is seeking to save talks on a ceasefire in Libya, after the Tripoli-based Al-Wefaq government announced last night that it would withdraw from the talks one day after it was launched, in protest at the bombing of the capital's port.

"The two delegations are still here (in Geneva), and Dr. (Ghassan) Salama is holding a meeting today with the delegation of the National Accord government ... The leadership of the mission is in contact with the National Accord government in Tripoli and member states to maintain the momentum," said Jan Al-Alam, spokesman for the UN Support Mission in Libya. ".

In a separate statement, the UN mission stated that it "expresses its strong and renewed condemnation of the Libyan National Army's bombing of the port of Tripoli yesterday."

A source said that the UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salama, is trying to persuade the Tripoli delegation to stay in Geneva and resume indirect talks.