TRIPOLI, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Sunday that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis.
Muscat made the remarks during a phone call with Libyan UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj, according to a statement issued by the Libyan prime minister's information office.
"During the phone call, Muscat stressed that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis, and that the solution lies in dialogue between the different Libyan parties according to the initiative of the UN envoy to Libya," the statement said.
"The (Libyan) prime minister expressed appreciation to the republic of Malta, confirming that the defense on the capital and other cities will continue," the statement added.
The east-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over the capital Tripoli from the government.
The fighting so far has killed more than 270, injured at least 1,300 others, and forced more than 13,000 to flee their homes.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
