UN envoy says Libyan truce close to total breakdown

The UN's Libya envoy on Friday lashed out at "cynics" undermining talks between the two sides in the conflict and said he needed "much more" international support.

Ghassan Salame was speaking after the Libyan capital's only working airport was hit by rocket fire on Friday in the latest violation of a shaky truce in the country.

"It's almost a breakdown of that truce," Salame said in Geneva, adding that "many areas" of Tripoli were also hit.

But Salame said he wanted a UN-facilitated process for political, military and economic talks between the two sides to continue even though they had both pulled out.

"We are pursuing our line despite the procrastination of these cynics," he said, after hosting talks this week with some representatives of an eastern-based parliament backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

The negotiations are supposed to gather delegates from both Haftar's side, which is engaged in a months-long offensive to seize the capital, and the UN-recognised unity government based in Tripoli.

The unity government is supported by Turkey, while Haftar is backed by Russia -- two countries that are also now on different sides of the Syria conflict.

Salame said he saw a "mutual interaction" between the Libyan and Syrian conflicts "that is not favourable for peace in either one".

He emphasised that the international community had voiced its support for the UN-facilitated talks at a summit in Berlin in January.

"Did I get the kind of support needed since then? My answer is no. I need much more support," he said.