On Monday 6 February, the European foreign affairs ministers insisted on the importance of unifying Libya, and underlined they were ready to help.
“We are ready to stand alongside the whole process (…) which could help unify the country”, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council, adding that the EU was not there to impose a solution. The issue of sovereignty is very important for the Libyans.
Mogherini also announced that the EU accepted the invitation from the UN, the African Union and the Arab League – the troika – to join them and thus to form a Quartet to try and stand alongside the Libyan political process. In their conclusions, the ministers hail the resolve of Libya’s neighbouring countries and regional organisations to stand alongside and facilitate the Libyan political process, stating that it was the responsibility of all Libya’s neighbours to play a constructive role in the settlement of the crisis. Furthermore, the EU will mobilise its support instruments and also stands ready to modify its restrictive measures as required in order to contribute to peace, stability and security in Libya, the ministers add, saying that the EU is ready to increase its economic cooperation with Libya.
It needs to be unified from east to west.
However, nothing can be done without the Libyans. In their conclusions, which never mention General Khalifa Haftar, and state that the Council of the presidency and government of national unity are the only legitimate government authorities under the Libyan political agreement, the ministers call for a dialogue between the parties. All the Libyan actors should conduct a true dialogue in a constructive spirit, the European foreign ministers say, adding that Libya has the main role in the political process and that it is important that it is open to all.
“We would like to ensure that the negotiations are resumed very strongly so as to really have this unity throughout the country”, Belgium’s foreign minister, Didier Reynders stated on arriving at the Foreign Affairs Council. “It needs to be unified from the east to west of the country. The crucial question is how to have General Khalifa Haftar somehow integrated in the Libyan government”, the British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, stated. His counterpart from Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, thought that “without Mr Haftar, there would not be any stability” but wondered if putting the stability in the hands of the military was a good option.
The ministers also call in their conclusions for a single armed force. It is of the utmost urgency to federate the whole of the armed forces under the control of the legitimate civil authorities, as provided for in the Libyan political agreement, the European ministers say, adding that there is no military solution to the conflict. The Chamber of Representatives appointed General Khalifa Haftar as chief of the armies, but he refuses to work under civil authority. According to a diplomatic source, his army would include 3,000-4,000 men. Hailing the creation of the presidential guard and recent deployment of the first units, which is a decisive measure to protect the institutions created by the political agreement and the diplomatic missions in Tripoli, the ministers announced that the EU was ready to study the possibility of bringing its support to the presidential guard. According to a European source, the EU could train, via its EUBAM Libya mission, the presidential guard, for its police missions. Italy and France are currently conducting training actions concerning the military part of the guard. Around 150 men from the guard have been trained and the guard is expected to include 3,000 men in the long term. Hailing the Libyans’ courage and determination in the fight against terrorism, the European foreign ministers urge all Libyans to unite against terrorism. The EU condemns the violations against migrants.
EU condemns violations against migrants.
In addition, the ministers condemned the violations of human rights against migrants and called on the authorities to redouble their efforts to improve the protection and promotion of human rights, especially in the detention centres for migrants. Some European sources have described the situation in these centres as “deplorable, unacceptable and far from international standards”. They have also called on all parties to ensure unhindered and safe access for humanitarian workers to the centres, underlining the need to respect humanitarian law. The ministers also discussed the migration situation in Libya. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)