The UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj speaks at a press conference in Tripoli, Libya, on Feb. 15, 2020. Fayez Serraj on Saturday highlighted the cease-fire as a precondition for any negotiation. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)
TRIPOLI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Saturday highlighted the cease-fire as a precondition for any negotiation.
"Agreement on lasting cease-fire means stopping all acts of violence, return of displaced people to their homes, and guaranteeing that the capital and other cities are safe from any threats," Serraj told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.
"We believe that without cease-fire, talking about the other (economic and political) tracks is useless. No negotiations under warplanes bombing and destruction of infrastructure," he said.
Libya's east-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.
The fighting has killed and injured thousands of people, and forced more than 150,000 to flee their homes.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution to endorse the outcome of Berlin Conference on Libya held on Jan. 19 and noted that the outcome represents "an important element of a comprehensive solution" to the situation in Libya.
Resolution 2510 also condemns the recent increase in levels of violence and demands the parties in Libya commit to a lasting cease-fire.
