Brussels, 17/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 17 December, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini hailed the much awaited signature of the agreement for a national unity government in Libya.
“The signature of the agreement is good news”, Mogherini said, on arriving at the European Council. “It's the result of a long and difficult diplomatic process”, she added. “It's something we can all be proud of”, she said. Congratulating first the Libyans, she stated that this agreement would also show that the diplomatic efforts of the international community, the EU and Italy led to results.
Mogherini hoped the process would remain open and inclusive, and that all the Libyan parties and representatives would be able to join the agreement in the near future, to make “a good starting point” for the country. However, she underlined the fact that this was a starting point and that the country's problems would not be settled immediately.
Mogherini stated that the EU was ready to support the new government of national unity and was already working on concrete projects to support the process (see EUROPE 11415).
On Thursday 17 December, representatives from the rival Libyan factions signed the United Nations-proposed agreement, which provides for the formation of a national unity government. The signature of such an agreement has been awaited since October. However, the agreement has already been rejected by the heads of the two rival parliaments, and its implementation therefore risks being complex. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)