UN envoy: Libya peace possible if outside interference ends

 An agreement between Libya’s warring parties to end their conflict is possible, but only if all Libyans reject outside interference, the U.N. envoy for the oil-rich North African nation said Monday.

Ghassan Salame told the Security Council that preparations for an international summit in Berlin are underway and that a "crucial" meeting of senior officials Wednesday aims to reach agreement on an outline of actions needed to end the conflict. These include a return to the Libyan-led peace process, a cease-fire, implementation of the arms embargo against Libya, security and economic reforms, and upholding international human rights and humanitarian law, he told The Associated Press (AP).

A civil war in Libya in 2011 toppled Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. In the chaos that followed, the country was divided, with a weak U.N.-supported administration in Tripoli overseeing the country's west and a rival government in the east aligned with the Libyan National Army led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter, each supported by an array of militias.

Hifter launched a surprise military offensive April 4 aimed at capturing Tripoli despite commitments to attend a national conference weeks later aimed at forming a united government and moving toward elections. Fighting for Tripoli has stalled in recent months, with both sides dug in and shelling one another along the city’s southern reaches.