White House Adviser: President Spoke with Leaders Regarding Libya, Urged Restraint

US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien revealed Tuesday that President Donald Trump had spoken in recent days with a handful of world leaders involved in the ongoing conflict in Libya, urging them to de-escalate the bloody dispute and reach a peaceful solution. While O’Brien did not specify which individuals Trump spoke with, White House statements in recent weeks show the president called Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, all heads of countries involved in the Libyan problem. According to O’Brien’s statement, the US is concerned intervention by foreign powers in Libya will undermine security interests in the region. The Libyan civil war, ongoing since the bloody downfall of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, has centered in recent weeks around the coastal city of Sirte, considered the gateway to the country’s abundant northern oil reserves. The city is currently held by renegade general Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), backed by Egypt, the UAE and Russia. Most of Libya, including the capital Tripoli, is controlled by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), supported by plenty of Turkish troops and weapons.