BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation in conflict-wracked Libya with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the German governemnt said in a statement on Monday.


Merkel told Sisi that United Nations-backed negotiations must remain the key aim of a peace process in Libya, where the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is fighting General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army in the east.


On Saturday, Sisi proposed a new ceasefire after the Turkish-backed GNA won a series of rapid victories over Haftar's forces, dashing Haftar's bid to unite the country by force with help from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.