International pressure is mounting to stop the fighting in Libya, and the United States has joined the calls for the resumption of political negotiations, and while Turkey considered that the Egyptian initiative was dead, the Libyan National Accord government forces sent additional reinforcements towards the city of Sirte in preparation for storming it.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for the start of UN-sponsored negotiations on the crisis in Libya.

Pompeo called on Russia and other countries to stop their involvement in the Libyan crisis.

Simultaneously, the US embassy - in a statement - called on the Libyan parties to stop the escalation, and warned against engaging in reprisals.

The American statements came a day after the European Union, Italy, France and Germany issued a joint statement calling for an urgent ceasefire in Libya.

In the context of the same diplomatic momentum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed by phone the Libyan crisis today.

The Russian Presidency said that the two Presidents expressed grave concern over the ongoing clashes in Libya.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşo أوlu and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, pledged a few days ago to work to create conditions for peace in Libya.

On the regional level, Algeria had expressed yesterday, Tuesday, its willingness to host negotiations between the Libyan parties in an attempt to solve the crisis politically, and the past few days witnessed extensive contacts between the foreign ministers of the countries of the region in light of the escalation of fighting in Libya.

The United Nations called for an early resumption of the JMC (5 + 5) ceasefire talks in Libya, which stopped last February in Geneva, while Libyan Al-Wefaq government officials confirmed that there was no return to the talks before taking control of the city of Sirte (450) Kilometers east of Tripoli) and the Al-Jafra base south, in which the US Forces Africa Command recently said that Russian aircraft landed in support of the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar.

Jawishoglu said that Hifter escaped the signing of the cease-fire in Moscow and Berlin (Getty)


Politically dead initiative also, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoغلlu said that the initiative announced by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last Saturday - which includes a ceasefire in Libya - was born dead.

The Turkish "Hurriyet" newspaper quoted Gawishoglu that the aim of this initiative is to save Haftar after the recent victories of the Al-Wefaq government, which enabled it to control the entire Libyan West.

He also described the call that came in what was called the "Cairo Declaration" for a cease-fire without being sincere and which cannot be trusted, noting that Haftar escaped from the signing of the ceasefire in Moscow and Berlin, and that he has no place in any agreement for a future political solution.

The Turkish minister stressed that the permanent cease-fire must be under the umbrella of the United Nations and with the participation of all Libyan parties, and stated that Ankara will hold talks with Moscow on Libya in the coming days, especially after sending fighters to eastern Libya.

For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said today that it is certain that Haftar will be defeated if support is absent from him.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia announced their support for the Egyptian initiative, which includes a ceasefire that was supposed to take effect on Monday morning.

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Haftar’s plan to occupy Libya and Tripoli had been thwarted.

He also pledged that his country would continue to support the Libyan reconciliation government.

Al-Wefaq reinforcements In the
field, Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted a military source in the Libyan Al-Wefaq government forces as confirming that military reinforcements had reached the fighting axes in the western coastal city of Sirte.

The source added that the princes of the central military regions, Tripoli and the West agreed to support fighting axes west of Sirte to launch an attack on Haftar forces with various types of weapons.

The warplanes and the flight of the Haftar forces had flown intensively today in the atmosphere of Abu Qurain area east of the city of Misurata without striking the locations of the reconciliation forces in the area.

Before that, Al-Wefaq forces bombed military targets inside Sirte, and local sources reported that dozens of Haftar 604 Battalion, affiliated to Haftar, had been killed by missile strikes.

Haftar's spokesman, Ahmed Al-Mesmari, announced that their forces would continue operations until the Egyptian initiative, which the Libyan Accord government had ignored, was accepted.

Allied disputes
Meanwhile, France's Intelligence Online website said that a major rift has occurred between Haftar's supporters, especially the UAE, Egypt and France.

And the website that deals with intelligence affairs revealed that Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is tired of seeing the UAE money being spent on Haftar's forces without success.

He stated that the sons of Hifter carry out the exchange of funds while his forces continue to request more military equipment, noting that the differences between the Emirati officers and the leaders of the forces of Hifter have reached the point of physical engagement in the recent period.

Mine victims
On the other hand, seven people were killed and ten others wounded today by an explosion planted by Haftar forces and supported by Russian mercenaries before they withdrew from the southern suburbs of Tripoli.

The Ministry of Health of the Al-Wefaq government said that among the dead were a woman and a security component, and among the wounded were three units of mine and explosive dismantling units, noting that the explosions occurred in the suburbs of Ain Zara, Wadi Al-Rabi` and the airport road.

Since the Al-Wefaq forces recaptured the areas that were subject to the Haftar forces south of Tripoli, many civilians and security personnel charged with removing the explosives have fallen. The Al-Wefaq government has warned the displaced civilians of their neighborhoods to return to them before removing them.