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US leverage on Libyan parties for launching peace process would be positive — Lavrov

According to Russia's top diplomat, any constructive assistance in overcoming crises, either in Libya, Syria or anywhere else could be only welcomed
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
© Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS

MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. The United States’ leverage on the parties to the Libyan conflict could encourage peace process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Wednesday.

"If the United States could use its leverage in the Libyan conflict in order to bolster efforts of Russia and other foreign actors, who are calling for immediate declaration of ceasefire, I think this would be rather positive," Lavrov said.

According to Lavrov, any constructive assistance in overcoming crises, either in Libya, Syria or anywhere else could be only welcomed. "I don’t know what particular steps the US could take to advance the Libyan settlement. They participated in the Berlin conference where Russia was also represented at the level of President [Vladimir] Putin. They signed the [UN] Security Council Resolution that confirmed the Libyan conference’s decisions. They highlight that they recognize the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord that is one of the conflicting sides," the top diplomat said.

There are currently two governments in Libya: the internationally recognized Government of National Accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, which is headquartered in the country’s capital of Tripoli, and Abdullah al-Thani’s cabinet based in the country’s east, which has the support of the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. For more than a year, two rival forces have been fighting for the country’s key city after on April 4, 2019 Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli with the goal, as he said, to free the capital from terrorists.