The deadlock in Libya continues. Over the past few years, international diplomatic efforts have failed to stop the fighting between the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli and the forces supporting General Khalifa Haftar in the east of the country.

The Arab League on Tuesday called for the withdrawal of foreign forces in Libya and urged ceasefire talks in a statement about which Tripoli and three other member states expressed strong reservations.

Syria yesterday declared its support for both the Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar and for Egypt’s initiatives with regards Libya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Walid Al-Muallem, said.

Arab foreign ministers said on Tuesday that they wanted to avoid a new battle in Libya and called for a truce as the warring sides mobilise near the main oil region as their foreign backers threaten an escalation.

The European Union said it was concerned about the recent surge in declarations on Libya as they work against the de-escalation of the conflict, the bloc’s chief spokesman for the foreign policy said on Monday, commenting on the Egyptian president’s threat of military intervention.

Libya’s UN-recognised government plans to boycott next week’s Arab League meeting on the conflict in the country, Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala said, citing the bloc’s failure to consult it beforehand.

Turkey on Friday criticised the EU’s Operation Irini aimed at halting arms shipments to Libya as “not objective”, a day after NATO said it would probe a naval incident with a French ship.

A Turkish warship prevented the EU’s new naval mission enforcing the Libya arms embargo from checking a suspect freighter off the war-torn country’s coast, European sources said Thursday.

The European Union’s top diplomat has urged all parties in the conflict in Libya to immediately stop all military operations and engage constructively in peace negotiations.

The United States said Wednesday it was waiting to build an “empowered” UN mission for Libya, frustrating France and Germany which say the delay in approving an envoy is jeopardising momentum to end the conflict.