Benghazi, Jan 18 (IANS) The Libyan army Sunday announced a ceasefire in its fight against the rebels in response to the recommendations of the UN-sponsored Geneva talks.
“We announce a ceasefire starting from midnight Jan 18 in all land, sea, and air fronts,” the Libyan army said in a statement, according to Xinhua.
However, the army said the ceasefire would exclude “operations to prosecute terrorists who do not recognise the right of Libyans to build a national state and do not recognise the democratic principles of this country”.
The army said it “will continue reconnaissance operations to prevent changes of the situation in all fronts, as well as to prevent the transfer of arms, ammunition and individuals by land, sea or air to the fronts”.
“Such actions will be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be targeted immediately,” the statement added.
The army said “the right of self-defence if exposed to fire”, pointing out that it considers the ceasefire “a valuable opportunity for the aggressor forces to withdraw into their regions”.
On Wednesday, the second round of the Libyan dialogue, sponsored by the UN Support Mission in Libya, kicked off in Geneva. The conference was aimed at resolving the political and security crisis of the country.
On Friday, rebels in Libya announced a ceasefire in the war-torn country.
Libya suffers a political division with two rival governments and parliaments battling for legitimacy.
–Indo-Asian News service
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