Libya’s Khalifa Haftar fails to sign ceasefire deal

Strongman General Khalifa Haftar has left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement to end nine months of fighting in Libya .

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, meets Khalifa Haftar in Moscow. Picture: AP

Libya’s eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar has left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement to end nine months of fighting in the country .

Field Marshal Haftar on Monday night asked until Tuesday morning to look over the agreement already signed by the head of UN-recognised government Fayez al-Sarraj, but left the Russian capital without signing, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The two Libyan delegations on Monday spent seven hours in an attempt to sign a deal outlining the terms of a permanent truce in Libya, following a ceasefire that took effect on Sunday.

Mediated by Russian and Turkish foreign and defence ministers, the talks did not include the warring sides meeting face-to-face, but Moscow said there was “progress” and that Marshal Haftar viewed the ceasefire document “positively”.

Russian state media citing Libyan sources said however that his plane departed Russia after a failure to reach a permanent agreement, leaving the fragile truce in uncertainty.

AFP