Brussels, 03/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 3 December, the European External Action Service (EEAS) confirmed that High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will participate in the international conference on Libya that is being organised in Rome on 13 December.
Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni had announced the previous day that this conference would be held. “We can still avoid the complete disintegration of the country and stop the advance of IS”, he told the Italian Senate. “We can do this because of intense diplomatic action, an understanding between the parties, and strong commitment to political stability alongside the future government”, he added. According to Gentiloni, there is not much time left and “it is out of the question to give IS the gift of leaving still more time”. The conference could take a form similar to that of the conference organised in Vienna to find a political solution for Syria.
In a press release published at the end of a meeting with Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, Mogherini underlined the importance of bringing together all the relevant regional actors in supporting the need for an agreement and UN-defined roadmap. “In this respect, the conference in Rome on 13 December will be a great opportunity to show real international and regional commitment for a political solution”, Lavrov stated. Mogherini and Lavrov agreed to work together on this. Discussing the threat of IS, they underlined the urgency for international and regional cooperation on the Libyan crisis, with a view to reaching an internal agreement on a government of national accord.
Mogherini has for months been calling for a government of national accord in Libya (see EUROPE 11440). Political chaos there is benefitting the development of IS. The terrorist organisation continues to strengthen its ground in Syrte. This coastal city of around 80,000 inhabitants is now reported to have over 2,000 men belonging to IS. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)