Haftar says Libya ceasefire is tied to Turkish withdrawal

MOSCOW - Khalifa Haftar, Libya's eastern military commander, said he would be ready for a ceasefire if Turkish and Syrian mercenaries left the country and Ankara stopped supplying weapons to Libya's UN-recognised recognised government in Tripoli, RIA reported.

The internationally recognised government on Tuesday suspended talks hosted by the United Nations to halt warfare over Tripoli after eastern forces shelled the capital's port, killing three people and almost hitting a highly explosive gas tanker.

"A ceasefire (would be) the result of a number of conditions being fulfilled ...the withdrawal of Syrian and Turkish mercenaries, an end to Turkish arms supplies to Tripoli, and the liquidation of terrorist groups (in Tripoli)," Haftar told Russia's RIA news agency in an interview. 

Haftar’s statement came as the United Nations will on Friday host a new round of ceasefire talks between Libya's warring parties fighting over the capital Tripoli, a UN spokesman said on Friday.

On Tuesday, Libya's internationally recognised government pulled out of the talks after eastern forces loyal to Haftar shelled Tripoli's sea port.