Brussels, 15/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 15 February, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said she hoped the Libyan government of national accord, the second version of which had been announced earlier in the day, might be set up very quickly.
“I hope that Libya can have a fully operational government in place very soon”, she said on arriving at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. On Saturday 13 February, Mogherini met the head of the Libyan Chamber of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, in Munich to discuss the modalities and timing for the endorsement of the government by this institution. Belgium's Foreign Minister Didier Reynders welcomed “the emergence of a national unity government”. “If this could be confirmed with the approval by the different parliaments, it would be excellent”, he added. “But we are still a long way from the implementation and establishment of the government”, he warned.
In this new version, the government comprises 13 ministers and 5 ministers of state, 3 of whom are women. On 22 January, the Chamber rejected the first version of the government due to there being too many ministers (32, with just one woman).
The foreign ministers also decided to extend by six months - until 21 August 2016 - the mandate of the EUBAM Libya border assistance mission. “We decided to extend and amend the EUBAM Libya mandate which, let's hope, will permit us to work on the plans to support the future national accord government”, Mogherini said at a press conference. She stated that the March Foreign Affairs Council would be due to return to this issue. The mandate was modified for the mission to be able to prepare a possible crisis management civilian mission focusing on strengthening capacity and assistance in the area of reforming the country's security sector.
The heads of state and government could discuss Libya at their summit on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 February, according to draft conclusions of 15 February obtained by EUROPE. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)