Johnson and Macron hold talks at crunch Libya summit in Berlin

19 January 2020, 19:38

Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron have met to discuss the ongoing conflict in Libya.

The Prime Minister spoke with Emmanuel Macron in Berlin today, addressing the situation in Libya.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister and President discussed the ongoing conflict in Libya.

"The Prime Minister stressed the need to bring an end to the fighting and for all parties to support peace talks to determine a way forward for the Libyan people."

Boris Johnson used his arrival at the summit to urge Russia and Turkey to negotiate a stop to the "proxy war" in Libya.

The Prime Minister said the chaos in the African state was a "disgrace" and called for a UN-backed solution to the crisis.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan supports the UN-backed administration in Tripoli and sent troops to Libya earlier this month to help them fight opposition forces led by General Khalifa Hifter, backed by Russia.

Speaking at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, President Erdogan accused world leaders of failing to respond adequately to General Hifter's "reckless attacks".

"Hopes that flourish again with the ceasefire and the Berlin summit should not be sacrificed to the ambitions of the merchants of blood and chaos," he told reporters.

A truce sponsored by Turkey and Russia was imposed a week ago, however the nine-month-old war has continued.