Trump spoke on the phone with Marshal Khalifa Haftar

US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone last Monday with Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of eastern Libya who ordered his troops on April 4 to take Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

The two men spoke of "ongoing counterterrorism efforts and the need to restore peace and stability in Libya," the White House reported Friday in a statement.

The US president "recognized the important role of Marshal Haftar in the fight against terrorism and in securing Libyan oil resources," the statement added. The two leaders "discussed a common vision of the transitional period in Libya with a view to (establishing) a stable and democratic political system".....