Head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj held talks in Italy on Tuesday with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as part of efforts to garner European support against the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) march on the capital, Tripoli.
Conte was clear in condemning the “aggression” against Tripoli, said a statement from Sarraj’s office after the talks in Rome.
He urged whom he described as “Italian friends” to exert greater efforts to counter the offensive given that Italy’s standing and international weight can create a “positive change.”
For his part, Conte reiterated his government’s support for the GNA, adding that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya. He hoped that parties would return to political dialogue.
He also revealed that he was seeking to soon meet with LNA commander Khalifa Haftar.
Later on Tuesday, Sarraj held talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"The Chancellor has called for a return to a political process under the aegis of the United Nations," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
"She has welcomed the proposal of UN special envoy for a ceasefire in Libya during the Ramadan” holy fasting month, he added.
Sarraj is set to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday and later visit Britain.
On the ground, the LNA downed south of the capital on Tuesday a fighter jet belonging to the GNA and that was flown by a foreign mercenary.
The Mirage F1 was downed in Al-Hira region, 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Tripoli, the LNA said on its Facebook page.
The LNA media unit released photographs of what it said was the pilot receiving medical treatment while seated on a chair.
Separately, the LNA continued to shell the positions of pro-GNA militias in the southern suburbs of Tripoli as it continued its march on the capital.
The LNA launched an operation to liberate Tripoli of terrorist and criminal gangs on April 4.
