Libya’s eastern strongman General Khalifa Haftar delayed signing a ceasefire agreement at talks in Moscow, but Russia said it was hopeful the country’s warring rivals would soon conclude the deal to end nine months of fighting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sarraj and the head of High Council of State in Tripoli, Khaled al-Mechri, had signed the document. The UN is already “recording and verifying reported ceasefire violations” through its political mission in Libya, which employs around 230 people, he added. “Moscow wants to preserve its presence in Libya through Haftar, including its oil interests,” he said. Image: AFP/File / FETHI BELAID, HO Haftar (R) and Sarraj (L) were to meet in Moscow for talks along with “representatives of other Libyan sides”, the Russian foreign ministry said

Source: Egypt Independent January 14, 2020 08:03 UTC