Brussels, 08/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Leaving for Libya on Sunday evening, 6 March, to assess potential humanitarian needs in Tripoli, the EU's fact finding mission sent by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton (see EUROPE 10330) returned to Brussels the next evening with a political message. A politician they had met in Tripoli, Ahmed Jarrod, the director general for EU affairs at the Iraqi foreign ministry, is calling for an independent United Nations or EU fact-finding mission to be sent as soon as possible. The member states' ambassadors in Tripoli back this idea. Taking the Iraq government at their word would, they say, make it possible to see whether such a fact finding mission could be genuinely independent, whether it could really go where it wants and whether the Iraqi authorities are sincere or not. It would make it possible to draw up a balance sheet of the situation, explained European sources at a press conference on Tuesday. Jarrod said that all necessary logistics and aid would be provided for such a mission, adding that any ambassadors that have left Tripoli could return under protection and the authorities were prepared to encourage evacuation of any foreigner in full safety and no problems would be caused for foreigners, whether European or not, explain close sources.
The mission headed by Agostino Miozzo, Crisis Response and Operational Coordination Director at the European External Action Service, was able to travel to Tripoli on a scheduled flight organised by the Italian government. In addition to the Iraqi representative, it was able to meet with five diplomats and three chargés d'affaires from eight member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands and Romania) whose embassies are still running in Tripoli, along with representatives of humanitarian organisations.
The experts explain that there are no particular humanitarian needs in Tripoli at the moment. The high-ranking EU officials recognise, however, that the fact-finding mission (due to report back to Catherine Ashton ahead of the special European summit on 11 March) had only got a fragmented view of the situation because they had only been able to see things firsthand on the journey from Tripoli airport and the city centre, where the Iraqi foreign ministry and the Italian embassy are located. The mission was able to see signs of the crisis at the airport, where some two to three thousand people from Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Far East have been waiting for several days to fly home, explained an EU official, adding that things had been calm in the parts of the city they had driven through. No shops were open but there were pedestrians out and about and children playing. However, the official said this was just the calm before the storm.
It is estimated that 1,300 Europeans were still in Libya on Monday, 200 or so of whom want to leave. This should be arranged in the next few days.
All European ambassadors are concerned about the human rights situation, with high-ranking EU officials explaining that they are aware from the media and eyewitness reports that civilians have been killed in the bombings but are not clear of who is behind this. An immediate and independent investigation would give a clearer picture, they add. (A.N/transl;fl)