Athens: Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar was holding talks in Athens on Friday, just two days ahead of a peace conference in Berlin which he and the head of Tripoli's UN-recognised government Fayez al-Sarraj are expected to attend.
His visit comes as world powers step up efforts for a lasting ceasefire, nine months since an assault on Tripoli by Haftar's forces sparked fighting that has killed more than 280 civilians and 2,000 fighters and displaced tens of
thousands.
An interim truce that came into force on Sunday has mostly held, despite accusations of violations from Haftar's forces and the rival Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).
Haftar walked away from ceasefire talks in Moscow on Monday, but German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited his eastern Libya stronghold of Benghazi on Thursday to persuade him to join the Berlin conference.
He flew to Athens on a surprise visit on Thursday, with Greece seeking to build ties with Haftar after the GNA signed a maritime and military cooperation deal with Turkey in November.
Athens is vehemently opposed to the contentious Turkish deal with Libya, which claims much of the Mediterranean for energy exploration, conflicting with rival claims by Greece and Cyprus.
Haftar met Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias after his arrival on Thursday and they were holding further talks on Friday.
He is also set to meet Prime Minister Kyriakos
Mitsotakis.
Greece is seeking to take part in the Berlin talks but has yet to be invited.
Haftar agreed in principle Thursday to go to Berlin after Sarraj signalled he would be present, Germany's Maas said, adding that he had agreed to abide by the current
ceasefire.
He "wants to contribute to the success of the Libyan conference in Berlin and is in principle ready to participate in it," he tweeted, calling it "the best chance in a long time" for peace.
(Image from arabnews.com)