Brussels, 07/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Whilst the EU's humanitarian mission to evacuate and rescue people seeking to leave Libya is being stepped up (EUROPE 10329), an EU fact-finding mission was sent out to Tripoli by Catherine Ashton, High Representative for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Sunday. This mission will seek to assess humanitarian needs and the evacuation efforts being made. It is being led by Agostino Miozzo from Italy, the managing director of crisis response and operational coordination at the European External Action Service (EEAS). In a declaration published on Sunday 6 March, the high representative explained: “I have decided to dispatch this high level mission to provide me with first-hand, real-time information to feed into the discussions leading up to Friday's extraordinary European Council when I will update heads of state and government on the situation.” The high representative added: “I would like to thank Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and the Italian government for helping the EEAS in facilitating this important mission.”
Although the EU has been able to use the services of the Italian government rather than the Hungarian Presidency, this is because Italy has a mission in Libya and the experts are also in contact with all EU member states that have a mission in the country, as well as the Hungarian Presidency, explained Michael Mann, the spokesman for Ashton, on Monday. This is a “technical mission” and is made up of five people. It will not have any political contact with the Libyan authorities or the opposition. Meetings have been planned with representatives from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), UN, NGOs and anyone who can provide any “concrete elements”. The experts will return to Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to submit their report, explained the spokesman.
Preparing for any possible scenario. On his return from Geneva, where he accompanied Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, the commissioner's spokesman, Raphael Brigandi, provided a new update on the situation. So far, almost all the 8,000 EU nationals who wish to leave Libya have been evacuated over a 10-day period. Eighty EU nationals still need to be evacuated. The spokesman indicated that “this should be able to be done over the next few days”. Humanitarian aid from the Commission has risen from €3 million to €30 million. The tenfold increase over the course of a week is in order to provide assistance at the border and provide ECHO partners with funding and help repatriate foreign workers seeking to go back to their home countries (the IOM has set up transit camps in 22 different sites in the region made up of the Red Cross/Red Crescent and the UNHCR). Member states have also provided €12 million in humanitarian aid.
200,000 nationals from third countries have fled Libya. Of these 6,000 were evacuated thanks to efforts made by member states (15 planes and four ships).
In Tunisia, access to western Libya is very difficult and increased fighting is causing serious concern. In Geneva, Kristalina Georgieva and the directors of the HCRC, UNHCR and IOM have launched a joint appeal for opening up humanitarian access. Their meetings focused on future strategy. The spokesman explained: “We need to prepare for all possible scenarios, including the worst. It is necessary to pre-position aid in order to tackle the risk of a new and massive influx of migrants”. (A.N./transl.fl)