G7 Foreign Ministers Warn Sides in Libyan Conflict Against Military Action

Foreign ministers of the group of seven nations said on Friday that they were strongly opposed to military action in Libya and warned the forces of eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) against precipitating further conflict.

"We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict," the foreign ministers of France, Britain, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan and Canada said in a joint statement, cited by Reuters.

The statement was sent amid talks in western France discussing the situation in the country. The ministers added that “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.”

Earlier on Friday, forces supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA) declared a general military alert after Haftar-led eastern forces announced they were moving to western parts of the country.

READ MORE: GNA Forces Stop Advance of Haftar's LNA Troops on Tripoli — Source

As a result of the years-long civil conflict, there is no single central government in Libya, and the country's eastern and western regions are controlled by separate powers. The Tobruk-based parliament, elected in 2014 and backed by the Libyan National Army, governs the east of Libya, while the UN-supported interim Government of National Accord controls Libya's western regions from Tripoli.