Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar has agreed to abide by the existing cease-fire in Libya, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Thursday.
Last weekend, Turkey and Russia brokered a temporary truce in the war-ravaged country, where the internationally recognized government in Tripoli competes for control with a rival administration allied to Haftar.
Maas had travelled to Benghazi, Haftar’s stronghold, on Thursday ahead of a peace conference in Berlin on Sunday. Haftar had earlier this week left talks in Moscow aimed at negotiating a permanent cease-fire agreement without signing the accord.
After a three-hour meeting with the general, Maas said that the general “has promised to observe the cease-fire, even though he did not sign the cease-fire agreement in Moscow earlier this week. This is extremely important.”
Haftar also agreed to attend the Berlin conference on Sunday, according to Maas. The leader of the internationally recognized Libyan administration, Fayez al-Sarraj, will also attend.
Posting a picture of Maas and Haftar shaking hands, the German foreign office tweeted: “General Haftar has signaled his readiness to contribute to the success of the Libya Conference in Berlin and is willing to participate.”
Außenminister @HeikoMaas nach Gespräch mit General Haftar in Bengasi:
General Haftar hat deutlich gemacht: Er will zum Erfolg der Libyen-Konferenz in Berlin einen Beitrag leisten und ist grds. bereit teilzunehmen. Er hat zugesagt, den bestehenden Waffenstillstand einzuhalten. pic.twitter.com/X9aAdylk43— Auswärtiges Amt (@AuswaertigesAmt) January 16, 2020