Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar told French President Emmanuel Macron that conditions for a cease-fire were not in place, although he would be ready to talk if those conditions were met, a French presidency official said. Macron and French officials have for several weeks called for an unconditional cease-fire in the battle for Tripoli after Haftar last month launched an offensive on the Libyan capital. "The distrust we see between the Libyan actors is stronger than ever today," said a French presidential official after the meeting between Macron and Haftar in Paris. "When the question of the cease-fire was put on the table, Haftar's reaction to this was to ask, 'Negotiate with whom for a cease-fire today?'" Haftar also said neither him nor his army were benefiting from oil sales in the east of the country, the official said.

Source: Libya Today May 22, 2019 16:41 UTC