Eastern must heed warnings to halt his advance on Libya’s capital, Italy’s foreign minister said, as powers from the club said there could be no military solution to the country’s power struggle.

Haftar’s troops have moved into the southern outskirts of Tripoli in a dangerous thrust against the U.N.-backed government that has caused alarm among Western capitals.

“We very much hope Haftar will take (our warnings) into consideration,” Enzo Milanesi told reporters at the close of a meeting of foreign ministers in western France.

The turmoil in dominated a summit which had been scheduled to focus on combatting cyber security and foreign interference in liberal democracies and global inequality.

In a communique, the foreign ministers urged Libya’s rival factions to show restraint and put the interests of the OPEC producer’s people first. The country’s oil installations should not be used by any group for political gain, it said.

“We are agreed that we must use all the possibilities at our disposal to exert pressure on those responsible in especially General Haftar, so that we avoid any further military escalation,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass told reporters.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.</s>Heavily armed forces loyal to a Libyan commander have been filmed advancing towards Tripoli, ratcheting up tensions ahead of a UN-backed peace conference.

Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to march on the capital in a video posted online, hours after he said his forces took full control of Gharyan, a town about 100 km south of the capital.

“To our army which is stationed at the outskirts of Tripoli. Today we complete our march ... We are going to start shortly,” he said in the video titled ‘Operation to liberate Tripoli’. There was no independent confirmation that any advance had started.

The tensions come as the UN is preparing to hold a conference later this month in the southwestern city of Ghadames to discuss a political solution to prepare the country for long-delayed elections.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Tripoli promoting the peace talks, expressed grave concern over “the military movement taking place." He tweeted a warning against the “risk of confrontation”, and called for calm and dialogue.

Since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been divided between various disparate factions. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj leads the Western-backed government, which currently sits in Tripoli. However, the vast majority of the country's east is under the control of Khalifa Haftar, commander of the 'Libyan National Army'.

The Tripoli government announced a high state of military alert in response to the advance by Haftar's forces.

Migration crisis

Libya is a major departure point for migrants and refugees travelling across the Sahara in the hopes of reaching Europe and any unrest could impact Tripoli's ability to manage the flow of migrants trying to reach Italy.

With EU backing, Italy made a deal two years ago to spend tens of millions of euros funding the Libyan coastguard,

The deal which is backed by the government in Tripoli, intercepts boats heading for Italy and returns refugees and migrants to Libya. Much outrage against European migration policies have been caused by the criminalisation of search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean, the deadliest sea route in the world.

However, there are reports of refugees and migrants dying in horrific conditions after being sent back to Libya as a direct result of EU policy.

The EU Delegation to Libya said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the military buildup underway in Libya" and urged "all parties to seize the opportunity of the visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to engage in a spirit of compromise in order to avoid further bloodshed and build a better future for all Libyans."

@EUDELtoLibya

International response

The US, UK, France, and Italy have issued a joint statement calling for calm in the country.

"At this sensitive moment in Libya's transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos," they said in a joint statement issued by the US state department.

"We strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict," they added.</s>DINARD, France (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar must heed international warnings to halt his advance on Libya’s capital, Italy’s foreign minister said, as powers from the G7 club said there could be no military solution to the country’s power struggle.

Haftar’s troops have moved into the southern outskirts of Tripoli in a dangerous thrust against the U.N.-backed government that has caused alarm among Western capitals.

“We very much hope Haftar will take (our warnings) into consideration,” Enzo Milanesi told reporters at the close of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in western France.

The turmoil in Libya dominated a summit which had been scheduled to focus on combatting cyber security and foreign interference in liberal democracies and global inequality.

In a communique, the foreign ministers urged Libya’s rival factions to show restraint and put the interests of the OPEC producer’s people first. The country’s oil installations should not be used by any group for political gain, it said.

“We are agreed that we must use all the possibilities at our disposal to exert pressure on those responsible in Libya especially General Haftar, so that we avoid any further military escalation,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass told reporters.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.</s>DINARD, France (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar must heed international warnings to halt his advance on Libya’s capital, Italy’s foreign minister said, as powers from the G7 club said there could be no military solution to the country’s power struggle.

Haftar’s troops have moved into the southern outskirts of Tripoli in a dangerous thrust against the U.N.-backed government that has caused alarm among Western capitals.

“We very much hope Haftar will take (our warnings) into consideration,” Enzo Milanesi told reporters at the close of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in western France.

The turmoil in Libya dominated a summit which had been scheduled to focus on combatting cyber security and foreign interference in liberal democracies and global inequality.

In a communique, the foreign ministers urged Libya’s rival factions to show restraint and put the interests of the OPEC producer’s people first. The country’s oil installations should not be used by any group for political gain, it said.

“We are agreed that we must use all the possibilities at our disposal to exert pressure on those responsible in Libya especially General Haftar, so that we avoid any further military escalation,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass told reporters.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.</s>DINARD, France, April 6 (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar must heed international warnings to halt his advance on Libya's capital, Italy's foreign minister said, as powers from the G7 club said there could be no military solution to the country's power struggle.

Haftar's troops have moved into the southern outskirts of Tripoli in a dangerous thrust against the U.N.-backed government that has caused alarm among Western capitals.

"We very much hope Haftar will take (our warnings) into consideration," Enzo Milanesi told reporters at the close of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in western France.

The turmoil in Libya dominated a summit which had been scheduled to focus on combatting cyber security and foreign interference in liberal democracies and global inequality.

In a communique, the foreign ministers urged Libya's rival factions to show restraint and put the interests of the OPEC producer's people first. The country's oil installations should not be used by any group for political gain, it said.

"We are agreed that we must use all the possibilities at our disposal to exert pressure on those responsible in Libya especially General Haftar, so that we avoid any further military escalation," German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass told reporters.

Concern over Libya's stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted. (Reporting by John Irish, Julie Carriat and Marine Pennetier; Editing by Richard Lough)</s>DINARD, France (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations implicitly warned eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Friday against an advance toward the capital Tripoli as they scrambled to defuse a dangerous escalation in the north African oil producer’s power struggle.

A military advance toward Tripoli and Libya’s U.N.-backed government by Haftar has taken the United Nations and Western powers by surprise, just as its secretary general was in the capital to plan a peace conference this month.

The news intruded on an annual meeting bringing together the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and the United States, who had been negotiating on norms to tackle cyber interference in democracies and sexual violence in Africa.

“We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,” the ministers said in a statement sent amid talks in western France.

“We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve,” the statement said, without naming Haftar directly.

The ministers said they backed U.N. efforts just hours after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed Libya following a meeting with Haftar to try to avert civil war.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had earlier welcomed his counterparts from the club of big, rich nations under a dull gray sky in Brittany, for a meeting already overshadowed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s absence and Britain’s Brexit meltdown.

French diplomats say Paris has scaled back its ambitions for France’s presidency of the club of major industrialized countries after U.S. President Donald Trump threw last year’s summit in Canada into disarray, backing out of a joint communique and firing barbs at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A French diplomat sought to downplay Pompeo’s snub saying: “We’re working well with the Americans. Yes, we have differences on some subjects, but that isn’t holding back the quality of our dialogue.”

The ministers had aimed to agree on Friday on a code of conduct to tackle cyber interference in their democracies, but had turned their focus to Libya instead, diplomats said.

Workers at dawn had furiously scrubbed away at graffiti spray-painted onto buildings near the secure zone in Dinard that attacked capitalism and President Emmanuel Macron.

The slogans screamed “Thieving banks”, “Revolution” and “No to the G7”, mirroring the anger vented across France in five months of anti-government “yellow vest” protests fueled by perceptions of a growing rich-poor divide and aloof politicians.

The summit is expected to result in three joint statements on cyber security, sexual violence against women in armed conflict and trafficking in the Sahel region, and not too much wrangling over issues where there is less consensus such as Iran and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would use the summit to call on his European counterparts to support his government’s request for a short delay to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to Brussels on Friday asking for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30, while saying she aims to get Britain out of the EU earlier to avoid it participating in European elections.

“What we are looking for is to avoid a long extension,” Hunt said. “We are a democracy with a hung parliament, so it’s not easy.”

Hunt said the G7 was proof Britain would not play a diminished international role after Brexit.</s>DINARD, France (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations implicitly warned eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Friday against an advance towards the capital Tripoli as they scrambled to defuse a dangerous escalation in the north African oil producer’s power struggle.

A military advance towards Tripoli and Libya’s U.N.-backed government by Haftar has taken the United Nations and Western powers by surprise, just as its secretary general was in the capital to plan a peace conference this month.

The news intruded on an annual meeting bringing together the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and the United States, who had been negotiating on norms to tackle cyber interference in democracies and sexual violence in Africa.

“We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,” the ministers said in a statement sent amid talks in western France.

“We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve,” the statement said, without naming Haftar directly.

The ministers said they backed U.N. efforts just hours after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed Libya following a meeting with Haftar to try to avert civil war.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had earlier welcomed his counterparts from the club of big, rich nations under a dull grey sky in Brittany, for a meeting already overshadowed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s absence and Britain’s Brexit meltdown.

French diplomats say Paris has scaled back its ambitions for France’s presidency of the club of major industrialized countries after U.S. President Donald Trump threw last year’s summit in Canada into disarray, backing out of a joint communique and firing barbs at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A French diplomat sought to downplay Pompeo’s snub saying: “We’re working well with the Americans. Yes, we have differences on some subjects, but that isn’t holding back the quality of our dialogue.”

The ministers had aimed to agree on Friday on a code of conduct to tackle cyber interference in their democracies, but had turned their focus to Libya instead, diplomats said.

Workers at dawn had furiously scrubbed away at graffiti spray-painted onto buildings near the secure zone in Dinard that attacked capitalism and President Emmanuel Macron.

The slogans screamed “Thieving banks”, “Revolution” and “No to the G7”, mirroring the anger vented across France in five months of anti-government “yellow vest” protests fuelled by perceptions of a growing rich-poor divide and aloof politicians.

The summit is expected to result in three joint statements on cyber security, sexual violence against women in armed conflict and trafficking in the Sahel region, and not too much wrangling over issues where there is less consensus such as Iran and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would use the summit to call on his European counterparts to support his government’s request for a short delay to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to Brussels on Friday asking for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30, while saying she aims to get Britain out of the EU earlier to avoid it participating in European elections.

“What we are looking for is to avoid a long extension,” Hunt said. “We are a democracy with a hung parliament, so it’s not easy.”

Hunt said the G7 was proof Britain would not play a diminished international role after Brexit.</s>Last-ditch appeals are being made to persuade Khalifa Haftar to step back from the brink of an all-out attack on Tripoli, Libya’s capital, after the UN security council warned him to halt all military manoeuvres and said those threatening military solutions will face consequences.

It is the first time the international community has been so clear that Haftar is responsible for the aggression and follows a failed effort by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, to persuade Haftar to hold UN mediation talks in Geneva with Libya’s prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj.

Haftar announced on Wednesday he was launching an assault on Tripoli, and diplomats now fear that the crisis is escalating out of control.

There is a lingering hope that Haftar misunderstood messages from key explicit allies as giving him implicit blessing for his attack.

The EU, for instance, is making strenuous efforts to ensure that the US is seen to be telling Haftar to back off, and to tell his three principle external supporters – Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – to do the same.

Haftar met King Salman of Saudi Arabia on 27 March in Riyadh.

It was also noted that Egypt did not put its name to a joint statement last week from the US, France, Italy, the UK and the UAE calling for restraint. Cairo has been one of Haftar’s strongest supporters.

Haftar’s troops are assembled in the area of Jufra, and it is thought forces from the coastal town of Misrata, loyal to the government of Sarraj, are willing to stage attacks on Haftar. Haftar, as the military leader in the east, may not have yet secured the level of militia support he expected inside Tripoli, but one source said alliances are shifting by the hour, with reports of violent incidents often exaggerated on social media.

Haftar has insisted, in talks with western diplomats, that he be allowed to take over as military leader at least until a new prime minister is elected, and seems unwilling to backtrack on his demands, despite a direct warning by EU ambassadors not to take decisive military steps.

One source said they feared Haftar either misread sometimes conflicting messages from his external allies or chose to misread them. “He is largely a military figure, and the quality of political advice that he is receiving from his immediate circle is not that sophisticated,” they said. “No one can understand why he thought it was good politics to launch an attack on Tripoli in the middle of a two-day visit to Libya by the secretary general.”

The chances of a UN-sponsored reconciliation conference going ahead as scheduled on 14 April now hangs in the balance, with forces in Misrata, including the Libyan interior minister, Fathi Bashagha, seen as a moderate, furious at what he regards as a betrayal by Haftar.

One source said France, viewed as the strongest European partner of Haftar, may be nervous that he is out of control, and suggested that the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will not want a transatlantic rift over support for an authoritarian leader in the middle of the European elections.</s>DINARD, France (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar must listen to warnings from the international community to halt his advance on Tripoli or else it will have to see what needs to be done, Italy’s foreign minister said on Saturday.

“We have stated quite clearly what our position is,” Enzo Milanesi told reporters after a G7 meeting of foreign ministers in western France.

“We very much hope that he will take it into consideration. If this does not happen, we will see what can be done,” he said.</s>DINARD, France (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations implicitly warned eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Friday against an advance toward the capital Tripoli as they scrambled to defuse a dangerous escalation in the north African oil producer’s power struggle.

A military advance toward Tripoli and Libya’s U.N.-backed government by Haftar has taken the United Nations and Western powers by surprise, just as its secretary general was in the capital to plan a peace conference this month.

The news intruded on an annual meeting bringing together the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and the United States, who had been negotiating on norms to tackle cyber interference in democracies and sexual violence in Africa.

“We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,” the ministers said in a statement sent amid talks in western France.

“We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve,” the statement said, without naming Haftar directly.

The ministers said they backed U.N. efforts just hours after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed Libya following a meeting with Haftar to try to avert civil war.

Concern over Libya’s stability is heightened by continuing political tensions around Europe over migration from north Africa, despite the fact that the numbers of new arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean have plummeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had earlier welcomed his counterparts from the club of big, rich nations under a dull gray sky in Brittany, for a meeting already overshadowed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s absence and Britain’s Brexit meltdown.

French diplomats say Paris has scaled back its ambitions for France’s presidency of the club of major industrialized countries after U.S. President Donald Trump threw last year’s summit in Canada into disarray, backing out of a joint communique and firing barbs at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A French diplomat sought to downplay Pompeo’s snub saying: “We’re working well with the Americans. Yes, we have differences on some subjects, but that isn’t holding back the quality of our dialogue.”

The ministers had aimed to agree on Friday on a code of conduct to tackle cyber interference in their democracies, but had turned their focus to Libya instead, diplomats said.

Workers at dawn had furiously scrubbed away at graffiti spray-painted onto buildings near the secure zone in Dinard that attacked capitalism and President Emmanuel Macron.

The slogans screamed “Thieving banks”, “Revolution” and “No to the G7”, mirroring the anger vented across France in five months of anti-government “yellow vest” protests fueled by perceptions of a growing rich-poor divide and aloof politicians.

The summit is expected to result in three joint statements on cyber security, sexual violence against women in armed conflict and trafficking in the Sahel region, and not too much wrangling over issues where there is less consensus such as Iran and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would use the summit to call on his European counterparts to support his government’s request for a short delay to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to Brussels on Friday asking for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30, while saying she aims to get Britain out of the EU earlier to avoid it participating in European elections.

“What we are looking for is to avoid a long extension,” Hunt said. “We are a democracy with a hung parliament, so it’s not easy.”

Hunt said the G7 was proof Britain would not play a diminished international role after Brexit.
The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Italy issue a joint statement calling on Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to end the offensive.