Fayez Al-Sarraj, head of Libya's presidential council, played down the importance of the support expressed by US President Donald Trump to Khalifa Haftar.

"For us, the position of the US secretary of state is important and he called Khalifa Haftar by name to stop the fighting," Al-Sarraj said in an interview with the AFP.

US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone with Marshal Khalifa Haftar on April 15th and discussed "ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and the need to bring peace and stability to Libya" according to the White House.

Trump "acknowledged the role of Haftar in combating terrorism and securing Libya's oil resources, and discussed the common vision of Libya's transition to a stable democratic political system," the statement said.