European Union calls for ceasefire in Libya

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - All warring groups in Libya must commit to a ceasefire and return to U.N.-led mediation, the European Union said on Monday, calling the situation a threat to international security.

“The EU calls on all parties to immediately implement a ceasefire and to engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities,” EU foreign ministers said in a statement after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj in Brussels.

“It also calls on them to dissociate themselves both publicly and on the ground from terrorist and criminal elements involved in the fighting, and from those suspected of war crimes, including individuals listed by the U.N. Security Council,” the statement said.

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The latest flare-up of violence in Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011, began a month ago when eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces advanced to the outskirts of Tripoli. More than 440 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced, according to the U.N.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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