Libya's internationally recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said on Sunday he was not prepared to sit down with eastern commander Khalifa Hifter to negotiate an end to the two-month offensive against Tripoli.
His comments to Reuters suggest low prospects for a ceasefire soon in the battle for Libya's coastal capital, where Serraj and his administration are based.
In the latest turmoil since the toppling of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Hifter's Libyan National Army (LNA) force has been unable to take Tripoli despite fighting that has caused havoc in southern suburbs and displaced tens of thousands of people.