The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar and discussed "ongoing counterterrorism efforts" by the leader of a military assault on the capital of Libya in opposition to the country's internationally recognised government.

A White House statement said Trump "recognized Field Marshal Haftar’s significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources, and the two discussed a shared vision for Libya’s transition to a stable, democratic political system."

It was unclear why the White House waited several days to announce the phone call, which took place on Monday. Europe and the Gulf have been divided over a push to seize Tripoli by Haftar's eastern forces.

In Tripoli on Friday, shelling could be heard in southern parts of the city as in previous days, residents said. No more details were available immediately.

On Thursday, both the United States and Russia said they could not support a UN Security Council resolution tabled by the UK calling for a ceasefire in Libya at this time. </s> This week, the president of the United States, Donald Trump spoke to the Libyan military commander, Khalifa Haftar, who is trying to overthrow the United Nations backed government, the White House said on Friday.

The statement said Trump “recognized Field Marshal Haftar’s significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources, and the two discussed a shared vision for Libya’s transition to a stable, democratic political system.”

The White House said they also discussed “ongoing counterterrorism efforts and the need to achieve peace and stability in Libya.”

It was unclear why the White House waited several days to announce the phone call.

On Thursday, both the United States and Russia said they could not support a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Libya at this time.

Also on Thursday, mortar bombs crashed down on a suburb of Tripoli, almost hitting a clinic, after two weeks of an offensive by Haftar’s eastern troops on the Libyan capital, which is held by an internationally recognized government.

Trump arrived on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Easter weekend.

Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government.

Russia objects to the British-drafted resolution blaming Haftar for the latest flare-up in violence when his Libyan National Army (LNA) advanced to the outskirts of Tripoli earlier this month, diplomats said.

The United States did not give a reason for its decision not to support the draft resolution, which would also call on countries with influence over the warring parties to ensure compliance and for unconditional humanitarian aid access in Libya. The country has been gripped by anarchy since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011.

Jalel Harchaoui, research fellow at the Clingendael Institute international relations think tank in The Hague, said the Trump phone call was tantamount to supporting Haftar’s operation and thus is “creating an environment where a military intervention by foreign states, like Egypt, is likelier.”

“One reason behind Trump’s phone call is that Haftar’s army has revealed itself less powerful than the Libyan strongman had claimed,” Harchaoui said.

Haftar was among officers who helped Colonel Muammar Gaddafi rise to power in 1969 but fell out with him during Libya’s war with Chad in the 1980s. Haftar was taken prisoner by the Chadians and had to be rescued by the CIA after having worked from Chad to overthrow Gaddafi.

He lived for around 20 years in the U.S. state of Virginia before returning home in 2011 to join other rebels in the uprising that ousted Gaddafi. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption On Friday Tripoli residents demonstrated against Gen Haftar's offensive

The White House says President Trump has spoken to Libyan eastern commander General Khalifa Haftar, whose forces are attacking the capital Tripoli.

During Monday's call, Mr Trump recognised Gen Haftar's efforts to combat terrorism and secure Libya's oil and they discussed Libya's future.

Tripoli is the seat of Libya's UN-backed and internationally recognised government.

Mr Trump's call suggests he endorses Gen Haftar, unlike some of his allies.

More than 200 people have been killed since the fighting began three weeks ago.

On Thursday the UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj condemned the "silence" of his international allies amid the assault by Gen Haftar's forces.

Libya has been torn by violence and political instability since long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.

The latest crisis started three weeks ago, when Gen Haftar's eastern forces descended on the capital in what Mr Serraj has described as an attempted coup.

Gen Haftar's troops are advancing from various directions on the outskirts of the city and say they have seized Tripoli's international airport.

Does this mean Trump backs Haftar?

During Mr Trump's conversation with Gen Haftar, the pair "discussed a shared vision for Libya's transition to a stable, democratic political system", the White House says.

The BBC's Middle East Regional Editor Alan Johnston says the call seems to signal that Washington is swinging its weight behind Gen Haftar and may see him as being capable of restoring unity and order to the country.

But Gen Haftar's opponents say he would rule the country in a highly autocratic style, our correspondent adds.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Pro-government forces are fighting Gen Haftar's forces to the south of Tripoli

The US, along with Russia, has also refused to support a UK-drafted UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Libya.

Russia objected to wording blaming Gen Haftar for the violence while the US did not give a reason, Reuters reported.

Gen Haftar has had backing from the UAE and Egypt and visited Saudi Arabia shortly before announcing his attack on Tripoli.

The UN-backed government in Tripoli has also accused France of supporting Gen Haftar. France has denied this.

Reuters quoted Jalel Harchaoui from the Clingendael Institute in The Hague as saying that Mr Trump's call was tantamount to supporting Gen Haftar's campaign and made a military intervention by an outside state such as Egypt more likely.

Who supports the Tripoli government?

Former colonial power Italy backs the internationally-recognised government.

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has also said there is "no justification" for Gen Haftar's move on Tripoli.

On Friday Mr Hunt spoke to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the two agreed to "continue diplomatic efforts to achieve a freeze on the ground and a return to the political process", according to the state department.

Who is General Haftar?

A former army officer, he helped Colonel Gaddafi seize power in 1969 before falling out with him and going into exile in the US.

He returned in 2011 after the uprising against Gaddafi began and became a rebel commander.

After Gaddafi's fall he was appointed chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA) under an earlier UN-backed administration </s> (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration issued a stern warning to Libyan militia leader Khalifa Haftar to halt his forces’ advance on Tripoli, and urged all aides to continue with political negotiations.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement late Sunday that the U.S. was “deeply concerned” about the warlord’s threat to the internationally recognized capital. He said the military campaign was endangering civilians and undermining efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully.

“We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital,” Pompeo said. “There is no military solution to the Libya conflict.”

Haftar is moving his self-styled Libyan National Army west to Tripoli to fight what he says is “terrorism,” after solidifying control of the east and sweeping through the south in January. Clashes have continued on the outskirts of the capital, including air strikes, despite appeals by global powers to halt the offensive.

“A political solution is the only way to unify the country and provide a plan for security, stability and prosperity for all Libyans,” Pompeo said Sunday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brendan Scott in Singapore at bscott66@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten Kate </s> MOSCOW, April 6 (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held a phone call on Friday with eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and reiterated Moscow’s position that it supports a political solution to the crisis in the country.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Haftar told Bogdanov about what he described as efforts to fight terrorists in Libya, including near its capital Tripoli in the west of the country. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin Editing by Peter Graff) </s> DINARD, France (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations implicitly warned eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Friday against an advance towards the capital Tripoli as they scrambled to defuse a dangerous escalation in the north African oil producer’s power struggle.

A military advance towards Tripoli and Libya’s U.N.-backed government by Haftar has taken the United Nations and Western powers by surprise, just as its secretary general was in the capital to plan a peace conference this month.

The news intruded on an annual meeting bringing together the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and the United States, who had been negotiating on norms to tackle cyber interference in democracies and sexual violence in Africa.

“We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,” the ministers said in a statement sent amid talks in western France.

“We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve,” the statement said, without naming Haftar directly.

The ministers said they backed U.N. efforts just hours after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed Libya following a meeting with Haftar to try to avert civil war.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had earlier welcomed his counterparts from the club of big, rich nations under a dull grey sky in Brittany, for a meeting already overshadowed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s absence and Britain’s Brexit meltdown.

French diplomats say Paris has scaled back its ambitions for France’s presidency of the club of major industrialized countries after U.S. President Donald Trump threw last year’s summit in Canada into disarray, backing out of a joint communique and firing barbs at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A French diplomat sought to downplay Pompeo’s snub saying: “We’re working well with the Americans. Yes, we have differences on some subjects, but that isn’t holding back the quality of our dialogue.”

The ministers had aimed to agree on Friday on a code of conduct to tackle cyber interference in their democracies, but had turned their focus to Libya instead, diplomats said.

Workers at dawn had furiously scrubbed away at graffiti spray-painted onto buildings near the secure zone in Dinard that attacked capitalism and President Emmanuel Macron.

The slogans screamed “Thieving banks”, “Revolution” and “No to the G7”, mirroring the anger vented across France in five months of anti-government “yellow vest” protests fuelled by perceptions of a growing rich-poor divide and aloof politicians.

The summit is expected to result in three joint statements on cyber security, sexual violence against women in armed conflict and trafficking in the Sahel region, and not too much wrangling over issues where there is less consensus such as Iran and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would use the summit to call on his European counterparts to support his government’s request for a short delay to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to Brussels on Friday asking for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30, while saying she aims to get Britain out of the EU earlier to avoid it participating in European elections.

“What we are looking for is to avoid a long extension,” Hunt said. “We are a democracy with a hung parliament, so it’s not easy.”

Hunt said the G7 was proof Britain would not play a diminished international role after Brexit. </s> Heavy clashes have broken out in the southern districts of the Libyan capital Tripoli, as the death toll from two weeks of fighting between the country's rival governments rose to 220.

The spike in violence happened after the White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump had spoken by phone earlier in the week with Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, who started an offensive against Tripoli on April 3.

The disclosure of the call and a US statement that it "recognised Field Marshal Haftar's significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya's oil resources" has boosted the commander's supporters and enraged his opponents.

Western powers and the Gulf have been divided over a push by Haftar's forces to seize Tripoli, undermining calls by the United Nations for a ceasefire.

Despite the offensive, Haftar's Libya National Army (LNA) force has not been able to breach the southern defences of forces allied to the internationally recognised administration based in the city.

On Saturday, shelling was louder and more frequent on Saturday than in previous days and audible even in central districts more than 10km away from the frontline, residents said.

Both sides claimed progress in southern Tripoli, but no more details were immediately available.

A Reuters TV cameraman visiting the southern Khalat Furgan suburb heard heavy shelling but saw no apparent major change in the front line.

On Friday, two children were killed in shelling in southern Tripoli, residents said. The fighting has killed 220 people and wounded 1066, the World Heath Organisation said.

It was unclear why the White House waited several days to announce Monday's phone call.

On Friday, Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said "a military solution is not what Libya needs".

He said he supported Haftar's "role in counterterroism" and that Washington needed Haftar's "support in building democratic stability there in the region".

On Thursday, both the US and Russia said they could not support a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Libya at this time.

Russia objects to the British-drafted resolution blaming Haftar for the latest flare-up in violence when his LNA advanced to the outskirts of Tripoli earlier this month, diplomats said.

The US did not give a reason for its decision not to support the draft resolution, which would also call on countries with influence over the warring parties to ensure compliance and for unconditional humanitarian aid access in Libya.

The country has been gripped by anarchy since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011.

As the Tripoli battle continued, municipal elections took place in seven towns, mainly in the south, the election commission said.

The vote is part of elections for local councils across Libya. Security differs from region to region as the country is controlled by rival governments, tribesmen and armed groups.

In western Libya polls in several communities had been postponed a week ago because of the fighting. </s> DINARD, France (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations implicitly warned eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Friday against an advance toward the capital Tripoli as they scrambled to defuse a dangerous escalation in the north African oil producer’s power struggle.

A military advance toward Tripoli and Libya’s U.N.-backed government by Haftar has taken the United Nations and Western powers by surprise, just as its secretary general was in the capital to plan a peace conference this month.

The news intruded on an annual meeting bringing together the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and the United States, who had been negotiating on norms to tackle cyber interference in democracies and sexual violence in Africa.

“We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,” the ministers said in a statement sent amid talks in western France.

“We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve,” the statement said, without naming Haftar directly.

The ministers said they backed U.N. efforts just hours after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed Libya following a meeting with Haftar to try to avert civil war.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had earlier welcomed his counterparts from the club of big, rich nations under a dull gray sky in Brittany, for a meeting already overshadowed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s absence and Britain’s Brexit meltdown.

French diplomats say Paris has scaled back its ambitions for France’s presidency of the club of major industrialized countries after U.S. President Donald Trump threw last year’s summit in Canada into disarray, backing out of a joint communique and firing barbs at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A French diplomat sought to downplay Pompeo’s snub saying: “We’re working well with the Americans. Yes, we have differences on some subjects, but that isn’t holding back the quality of our dialogue.”

The ministers had aimed to agree on Friday on a code of conduct to tackle cyber interference in their democracies, but had turned their focus to Libya instead, diplomats said.

Workers at dawn had furiously scrubbed away at graffiti spray-painted onto buildings near the secure zone in Dinard that attacked capitalism and President Emmanuel Macron.

The slogans screamed “Thieving banks”, “Revolution” and “No to the G7”, mirroring the anger vented across France in five months of anti-government “yellow vest” protests fueled by perceptions of a growing rich-poor divide and aloof politicians.

The summit is expected to result in three joint statements on cyber security, sexual violence against women in armed conflict and trafficking in the Sahel region, and not too much wrangling over issues where there is less consensus such as Iran and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would use the summit to call on his European counterparts to support his government’s request for a short delay to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to Brussels on Friday asking for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30, while saying she aims to get Britain out of the EU earlier to avoid it participating in European elections.

“What we are looking for is to avoid a long extension,” Hunt said. “We are a democracy with a hung parliament, so it’s not easy.”

Hunt said the G7 was proof Britain would not play a diminished international role after Brexit. </s> A British bid at the U.N. Security Council to demand a ceasefire in Libya faced opposition Thursday from Russia and the United States, raising doubts about prospects for a draft resolution to halt the bloodshed in Tripoli, diplomats said.

Britain put forward the measure after forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive on April 4 to seize Tripoli, a move that threatened to plunge the north African country into deep turmoil.

During a closed-door council meeting on Thursday, Russia again insisted that there be no references in the draft resolution criticizing Haftar while the United States appealed for more time to weigh its options, diplomats said.

The divisions among world powers deepened as fighting escalated in Tripoli, with the death toll now reaching over 200, while more than 25,000 people have been driven from their homes.

"We want to have this resolution," German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen told reporters after the meeting. "We want to have a strong resolution... with a united council - everybody behind it - that says who is responsible and what needs to be done."

"Not having this now is something that is frustrating," he added.

British Ambassador Karen Pierce said efforts would continue to reach a consensus next week.

U.N. diplomats however raised doubts over whether the council would be able to agree a text, with the U.S. reluctance to take action throwing a new spanner in the works.

There was speculation that President Donald Trump's administration may be consulting Egypt, a strong Haftar ally, and other players in the region, or with the Libyan leaders themselves, on how to address the crisis.

The council heard a briefing by video link from Tripoli by U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame, who raised concerns about the escalation in fighting and weapons flows to Libya.

Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital, now controlled by a U.N.-recognized government and an array of militias.

The military commander backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognize the authority of the Tripoli government.
The White House says President Donald Trump has spoken to Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar about recent developments in Libya. During the call, Trump recognised Haftar's efforts to combat Islamic terrorism and secure Libya's oil reserves.