Brussels, 07/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - During a debate in plenary on Tuesday 6 October, MEPs called on Libyans to reach agreement on the formation of a government of national unity. They also invited the EU to continue its support for the country.
On behalf of the EPP, Bulgarian Mariya Gabriel said they were at a turning point in the Libyan conflict and international pressure has to be kept up. It is no longer a time for negotiating terms, she said, but rather for responsibility and getting down to work in the framework of a national unity government. Fernando Maura Barandiaran (ALDE, Spain) said the proposals on the table are certainly the last chance for the two sides to lay down their weapons and form a government of national unity, a view shared by Victor Bostinaru (S&D, Romania), who said the future and stability of the region are connected with how the situation develops in Libya. Several MEPs expressed concern about the rise of the Islamic State organisation on the ground.
Bostinaru said the EU should consider sanctions against those who do not sign the agreement and against those fighting a war by proxy. Maura Barandiaran hoped that Europeans would help the Libyan authorities to fight militarily to stop the expansion of Daesh. A government of national unity is a major challenge and the EU should provide even greater assistance, said Germany's Barbara Lochbihler on behalf of the Greens/EFA. The EU and UN must continue to support the various initiatives for a peace process at local level and including women and minorities, said Gabriel. Mark Demesmaeker (ECR, Belgium) had questions about the functioning of the justice system and reconciliation once an agreement has been signed, saying that the EU has to face up to these challenges because otherwise peace and stability will be impossible. Concrete action is required, he added. Stating that the Libyan crisis was the consequence of the NATO strikes that some EU member states had participated in in 2011, Fabio Castaldo (EFDD, Italy) asked when those responsible for this disaster would take their responsibilities seriously.
We are prepared to sanction those who have done everything to sabotage the talks for a year, said Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides, without specifying whether he meant international or European sanctions. He said the EU had the ethical duty to not accept the partition of Libya, or one part imposing its power by force or for the institutions to lose their neutrality. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)