Brussels, 06/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 5 May, Gabor Iklody, the director of the crisis management and planning directorate at the EEAS, said he thought the Libyan authorities should be party to the EU-desired operation of destroying human trafficker boats.
Questioned at the European Parliament about the fact that the destruction of the vessels might destabilise Libya, Iklody said he believed that “no [this would not be the case] - if we proceed correctly.” “The Libyan authorities must be party. They must go along with it. And not only should the authorities go along with it, but the population in general”, he said, adding that a suitable communication strategy should be set up for this.
As well as the Libyan authorities being party, the EU should obtain the agreement of the United Nations Security Council. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will inform the members of the UN Security Council, in New York on 11 May, about the situation in the Mediterranean following the European Council on 23 April (see EUROPE 11301).
Russia cautious.
The UN agreement could be complicated to attain. According to Russia's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian government supports such an EU mission to fight traffickers, but the destruction of boats “is going too far”. “Stopping the traffickers and stopping these vessels is one thing, but destroying them would be going too far”, he said at a press conference. “That's the essence of the Russian position and I think that this has been respected with sufficient understanding by the EU”, he stated. “We can't support an initiative that would go as far as destroying boats without a mandate and without the consent of the country whose flag the boat flies. This would be a breach of current standards in international law”, Chizhov said. The jumbo Council (Foreign Affairs-Home Affairs) on 18 May wants to adopt the mission concept of destroying boats, and the mission would thus be launched swiftly. Italy would put itself forward for providing the mission's headquarters and command.
Many CSDP missions possible.
In addition to this mission, the EEAS has been tasked by the EU with working on possible CSDP missions. “Planning and conducting a CSDP mission in Libya has always been a real challenge and remains so”, said a Commission official. “There is a need for a national unity government, a Libyan discussion partner (who we don't have at the moment), an invitation and a legal mandate by a UN resolution. That's what is needed - in that order”, said Iklody. A UN mandate could also be difficult to attain.
Iklody highlighted several options. One is the support for the local monitoring of the ceasefire. “It's not very likely that a general ceasefire will be imposed in the country. We should concentrate on local ceasefires and helping consolidate them”, in Iklody's view. He also spoke about a possible protection of infrastructure and important sites such as government institutions. The EU could also be involved in protecting the Libyan border by way of reconstituting the EUBAM Libya mission. What remains of the mission - three people - is currently in Tunisia. The initial capacity of the new mission could be to supply expertise to the institutions, ports and airports. The EU could also help strengthen regional security, with emphasis on the CSDP missions already in the region. A maritime monitoring operation to put an end to arms and munitions trafficking and to monitor the activities of Islamic State could also be raised. As a very long-term action, the EU could also help reform the security sector but “for this, Libya must be ready and should have reached a certain level”, Iklody stated.
If a national unity government comes to light, the EU would also like to resume its cooperation programmes as quickly as possible - especially on building institutions and supporting civil society. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)