Brussels, 12/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On 10 January, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini described the meeting between the Libyan parties as “a last chance which must be seized”. The meeting is due to be held at the United Nations in Geneva this week.
Believing that the outcome of the mission to Libya by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Bernardino Léon, was “encouraging”, Mogherini said that these developments, particularly the meeting in Geneva, offered “a crucial opportunity to bring key stakeholders together to find a peaceful solution based on dialogue”. This “represents a last chance which must be seized”, Mogherini stated. “Libya is at a crucial juncture”, she added.
In Mogherini's view, the different actors should be in no doubt of the gravity of the situation that Libya finds itself in. “The opportunity to establish a ceasefire and find a political solution should not be wasted”, she warned.
In a joint press release, the governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US urged the parties “to engage seriously in this process to avert a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis suffered by ordinary Libyans as a result of the ongoing conflict, and to prevent the further erosion of Libya's sovereignty and security”.
These governments also “applauded” Leon's “extraordinary efforts” and hailed the announcement of a new round of political dialogue in Geneva. Mogherini said that the EU was in regular contact with Leon and assured him of the EU's support for his “important” work.
The UN mission to Libya announced on 10 January that the parties in the conflict had agreed to hold a new round of political dialogue to put an end to the country's political and security crisis. In order to create a suitable environment for the dialogue, Leon proposed a freeze on military operations for a few days. He has tried, unsuccessfully, to bring the different Libyan parties together on two previous occasions. (CG)