The government last night reiterated its advice against all travel to Libya.

It said in a statement that in view of the worsening situation it also encouraged the Maltese still in Libya to leave the country using commercial means.

The government said it has been contacting the Maltese in Libya for the past weeks and organising commercial flights to bring over the Maltese who wanted to return to Malta and these initiatives would continue.

Most Maltese still in Libya, the government said, were still there out of their own choice.

Earlier, the Special Envoys for Libya of the Arab League, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States today expressed concern at the situation in Libya and called for a ceasefire.

The envoys met with the UN in Brussels today to discuss recent developments.

In a joint statment they said: “The situation in Libya is reaching a critical stage. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing violence across the country and its humanitarian consequences.

“We call for a ceasefire from all sides, even more as Eid is approaching. We appeal to all sides to demonstrate a willingness to compromise and hope that all parties will agree to enter into an inclusive political dialogue on the back of the ceasefire agreement.

“The International Community stands ready to support all efforts and to help respect the political process.”

The envoys said that the UN should play a leading role in reaching a ceasefire in conjunction with the Libyan government and other internal partners, with the full support of the international envoys.

“The Council of Representatives must have the opportunity to convene according to the time table set out in the law. We encourage the CoR to carry out its tasks in a spirit of inclusiveness, moderation and in the interest of the country.”

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