Haftar delayed truce to undermine Turkish-Russian weight on Libya peace talks: Minister

General Khalifa Haftar is deliberately delaying the ceasefire in Libya in order to undermine the dominance of Turkey and Russia ahead of Berlin peace conference this weekend, Turkey's defense minister has said, expressing his hope for a political breakthrough between the two warring sides through inter-Libyan dialogue.

"Some powers have disliked the Turkish-Russian dominance in pushing for peace. They have given some advises to Haftar. As seen, he did not fully burn the bridges, but he put a hold on the ceasefire," Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the Ankara bureau chiefs of media outlets on Jan. 15 in Ankara.

Recalling that Germany will hold an international conference to push Haftar and the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) under the leadership of Prime Minister Mustafa Fayez al-Sarraj, Akar has foreseen that the purpose of Haftar in postponing his approval of a permanent ceasefire agreement is to reduce the Ankara-Moscow influence before the Berlin conference.

"We hope they [Haftar and al-Sarraj] will come together in Berlin. We are in favor of ceasefire and peace. We do not want the continuation of clashes. Efforts should be focused on ceasefire so that the Libyan parties can engage in talks for a political solution," he stated.

Akar has denied reports that Haftar forces have canceled the implementation of a ceasefire in Libya, stressing "It's too early to suggest that the ceasefire has fully collapsed."

Turkey and Russia had called on the two sides to begin a ceasefire starting from Jan. 12 and both sides had accepted it. But Haftar refrained from signing an agreement to make the ceasefire a permanent one at a meeting in Moscow on Jan.13.

"We are...