Libya’s Sarraj Says Oil Squeeze Shows Rival Wants No Peace

Prime minister calls on global powers to pressure Haftar
Berlin conference follows failed Russian-Turkish bid for truce

Fayez al-Sarraj speaks during a press conference on Jan. 15.Photographer: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Samer Al-Atrush

January 18, 2020 at 8:22 PM UTC

Updated on

January 18, 2020 at 11:08 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj called for international pressure to fully restore Libya’s oil exports, saying the port blockage by a commander seeking to unseat him shows he isn’t ready for peace.

Sarraj denounced Khalifa Haftar, his Russian-backed antagonist in the OPEC country’s civil war, on the eve of peace talks in Berlin. Haftar “is not looking for a peaceful solution or a political solution,” Sarraj said in an interview on Saturday.