ALGIERS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Mohamed Tahar Siala on Tuesday said that strenuous efforts are being made to convince the eastern-based army chief Khalifa Haftar to sign a cease-fire deal.

Siala was quoted by Algerian state-run radio channel I as saying that "Haftar requested a period of time to look over the agreement with his allies and assistants before signing it."

"We independently signed the cease-fire in Moscow to avoid further bloodshed, as all those who are dying are Libyans," Siala said.

He added that "the Russians and Turks are making strenuous efforts to persuade Haftar to sign the deal, but we still do not know how long (it will take)."

Haftar reportedly left Moscow, Russia on Tuesday after holding talks on the Libyan crisis, without signing the cease-fire deal as expected.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who strongly supports that UN-backed government based in the capital Tripoli, warned Tuesday that Turkey is ready to teach Haftar a lesson, if his troops resume attacks on Tripoli.

Siala said that he held a phone call on Tuesday with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss the developments of the Libyan crisis.

"We agreed that we have to continue persuasion efforts so that the crucial agreement would be signed by all parties in a bid to pave the way for the success of the forthcoming peace talks in Berlin," Siala added.

Germany is to host an international conference on Sunday on seeking a political solution to the Libyan crisis.

Libya has been locked in a civil war since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Enditem

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