Speaker of east Libya-based House of Representatives, Aqailah Saleh, has declared that his phone call with US ambassador, Richard Norland, was “misinterpreted”.
Speaking to local media, Saleh said he discussed with Norland the truce announced by Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled army.
“We discussed the importance of maintaining the political track and commitment to all the initiatives and proposals of the international community, provided that they respect the will the Libyans,” he stated, adding that fighting should continue until eliminating “the militias and terrorist groups”.
The US Embassy in Libya reported on Friday that Norland and Saleh agreed on the importance of respect for democratic processes and the need to avoid individual attempts to unilaterally dictate Libya’s political future using armed force.
“Saleh noted in his initiative that the time has come to end infighting among Libyans,” the embassy said.
They also agreed that there is no military solution in Libya, on rejecting an approach of imposing facts on the ground, and on the importance of continuing UNSMIL-facilitated negotiations, according to the US Embassy.
