Libyan National Army ready to sign ceasefire deal but Tripoli govt is unwilling, Lavrov tells African Union ministers

The Libyan National Army (LNA) is ready to sign an immediate ceasefire treaty, but the government in Tripoli is unwilling to do so, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

He made the statement following a videoconference with his counterparts from the African Union trio (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt and South Africa).

In January, the LNA “thought its positions on the ground to be more favorable and was not ready to sign a document that [Fayez] Sarraj considered acceptable,” Lavrov said. “Now, the LNA, according to our assessments, is ready to sign such a document on immediate ceasefire, but this time it is the Tripoli government who does not want to do it, counting on the military solution.”

The minister added that, although all sides have said there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict, this has not translated into practical steps.