The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met Thursday with Khalifa Haftar in Rome in what he described a "long meeting" saying they reviewed the current serious unrest in Tripoli.

Conte told reporters after his two-hour meeting with Haftar that he had called on Haftar to commit to ceasefire and that Italy is certain that Libyans can reach a political solution to the crisis.

Haftar met with the US ambassador to Italy before meeting with Conte.

According to many Italian sources, the meeting discussed the offensive led by Haftar on Tripoli, which has been condemned by Italy on its early days.

Haftar is expected to visit France to meet President Emmanuel Macron amid Italian-French reiteration for a ceasefire in Libya. </s> French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (not pictured) at the 'Christchurch Call Meeting' at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France May 15, 2019. Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS, (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will meet eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar in the middle of next week to discuss how to resume peace talks in the country, a French presidential source said on Thursday.

Macron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

“They will discuss the situation in Libya, the conditions for a return to political dialogue following the visit of Serraj and in co-ordination with the United Nations and partners,” the source told Reuters.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met Haftar on Thursday as European powers seek to put an end to fighting after troops loyal to Haftar launched an offensive on the capital breaking months of U.N.-led peace negotiations.

“Prime Minister Conte reiterated the need to agree to a ceasefire as soon as possible to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the country and safeguard the already difficult conditions of the Libyan people,” his office said.

Tripoli is home to the internationally-recognized administration but some European countries such as France have also supported eastern military commander Haftar as a way to fight militants in a country in chaos since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A day after meeting Macron last week, Serraj’s administration asked 40 foreign firms including French oil major Total to renew their licenses or have their operations suspended. </s> PARIS,, May 16 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in the middle of next week to discuss how to resume peace talks in the country, a French presidential source said on Thursday.

Macron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya's capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

"They will discuss the situation in Libya, the conditions for a return to political dialogue following the visit of Serraj and in co-ordination with the United Nations and partners," the source told Reuters. (Reporting by Marine Pennetier; writing by John Irish; editing by Inti Landauro) </s> Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, who has launched a military offensive against the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, held surprise talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome on Thursday ahead of a visit to Paris next week, officials said.

Conte said he urged Haftar to call a ceasefire to his assault on the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who also travelled to Rome and Paris for talks last week.

"It was a fairly long meeting, a lengthy exchange of information," Conte told journalists. "I informed him of the government's position. We want a ceasefire and we feel that the political path is the only solution."

Conte said last week that he wanted to meet Haftar after his talks with Sarraj.

The Libyan military chief, whose forces control large swathes of the country's east, will travel next week to Paris for talks with President Emmanuel Macron, his office said.

"The goal will be to discuss the situation in Libya and the conditions for resuming a political dialogue... in conjunction with the UN and our partners," an Elysee Palace official said.

France and Italy are the two lead European powers seeking to find a solution to years of instability, spreading Islamic extremism and a migrant crisis in Libya which fell into chaos after the NATO-backed toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

But the neighbours are seen by experts as competing for influence and the issue has caused tensions between the governments.

Sarraj, who is seen as being close to Rome, has accused France of supporting "dictator" Haftar's campaign against his internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

Paris has rejected the claims, saying it supports Sarraj but also considers Haftar a key player in rebuilding Libya after years of strife.

Haftar's bid to unseat Sarraj and take control of the Libyan capital has reached a military and political impasse after more than a month of fighting.

After the initial advance, forces loyal to the GNA launched a counter-offensive that has led to a stalemate on the ground.

The fighting has killed at least 430 people and wounded over 2,000 while displacing 55,000 others, according to UN estimates.

The European Union on Monday called for all sides in the conflict to put down their arms and commit to UN talks, saying the offensive was a threat to international peace.

"The situation in Libya is very worrying because the roadmap proposed by the United Nations... has been jeopardised by both the move by Marshal Haftar and by the move, or non-move by Prime Minister Sarraj," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers on Tuesday. </s> PARIS, (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron wants to meet Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar to push a ceasefire and resume peace talks, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Macron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Tripoli is home to the recognized administration but some European countries such as France have also supported eastern military commander Haftar as a way to fight militants in a country in chaos since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A day after meeting Macron, the internationally recognized government asked 40 foreign firms including French oil major Total to renew their licenses or have their operations suspended.

“The situation in Libya is extremely worrying because the proposed U.N. roadmap to both parties - and which almost reached a positive conclusion - ... has today failed on the one hand because of Field Marshal Haftar’s initiative and Serraj’s non-initiative,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers.

“It’s for this reason that the president wanted to meet one and the other to support the U.N. initiative.”

The French presidency said there was no meeting planned at this stage. </s> PARIS,, May 14 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron wants to meet Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar to push a ceasefire and resume peace talks, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Macron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Tripoli is home to the recognised administration but some European countries such as France have also supported eastern military commander Haftar as a way to fight militants in a country in chaos since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A day after meeting Macron, the internationally recognised government asked 40 foreign firms including French oil major Total to renew their licences or have their operations suspended.

“The situation in Libya is extremely worrying because the proposed U.N. roadmap to both parties - and which almost reached a positive conclusion - ... has today failed on the one hand because of Field Marshal Haftar’s initiative and Serraj’s non-initiative,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers.

“It’s for this reason that the president wanted to meet one and the other to support the U.N. initiative.”

A French diplomatic source could not confirm when the meeting could take place or whether Paris’ objective was to bring the two men together as it has done twice previously.

The French presidency did not respond immediately. (Reporting by John Irish; editing by Michel Rose) </s> DINARD, France (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar must listen to warnings from the international community to halt his advance on Tripoli or else it will have to see what needs to be done, Italy’s foreign minister said on Saturday.

“We have stated quite clearly what our position is,” Enzo Milanesi told reporters after a G7 meeting of foreign ministers in western France.

“We very much hope that he will take it into consideration. If this does not happen, we will see what can be done,” he said. </s> Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Thursday that he reiterated a call for a ceasefire in Libya during a surprise meeting in Rome with Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar.

"We want a ceasefire and we feel that the political path is the only solution," he said.

Read more: Libya's battle for Tripoli — what you need to know

Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) has been fighting forces loyal to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) since early April as part of an offensive to capture the capital city of Tripoli.

"I expressed the concern of Italy and of my government for the current situation, which we consider very critical," he added, without providing details on Haftar's response to the ceasefire call.

Haftar is expected to travel on to Paris for meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian media reported.

France and Italy have squabbled over the conflict, with France a long-time backer of Haftar and Italy a strong supporter of the GNA.

Libya's political turmoil began after the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi during a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

Alongside the rivalry between the GNA and the LNA, several militias, including jihadi groups, have vied for control of key cities in the North African country.

Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here. </s> 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.
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives meets with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and has scheduled a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron for next week.