U.S. emphasizes negotiated settlement in Libya

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland on Tuesday stressed the need for a negotiated settlement to the Libyan crisis as the armed conflict between the east-based army and the UN-backed government goes on.

Norland made the remarks during a meeting with General Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the army in eastern Libya.

"U.S. Ambassador Norland paid his first visit to Libya and met with General Haftar to reaffirm the importance of a negotiated settlement," the U.S. embassy to Libya tweeted.

Norland also plans to visit the capital Tripoli and meet with the UN-backed Government of National Accord under Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj "as soon as security conditions permit."

The east-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.

The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals have agreed to cease-fire on January 12 but both sides exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.