Khalifa Haftar, the renegade Libyan commander whose forces are battling to capture the country’s capital from its internationally recognised government, has announced his willingness to open dialogue after repeatedly rejecting United Nations calls for talks.
The statement was issued late on Wednesday, hours after Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj called Haftar a “war criminal” and ruled out peace talks during a speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
“When all is said and done, we need dialogue and we need to sit down,” said Haftar.
However, dialogue was “not possible so long as terrorist groups and criminal militias control Tripoli,” he said, in reference to the myriad of militias that back al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord in the capital.