The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced on Sunday 4 April that the EU ambassador to Libya, José Antonio Sabadell, would return to Tripoli by the end of the month. Due to the security situation, the delegation, which currently consists of more than 30 people, was relocated in July 2014 to Tunis, Tunisia, (see EUROPE 11134/11) and has been making regular visits to Libya since then.
“The EU ambassador will return permanently to Tripoli at the end of this month”, he announced after meeting Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba and Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush. Other members of the delegation could also be quickly and permanently relocated to Tripoli.
While the French, Italian and British Foreign Ministers visited Libya on 25 March (see EUROPE 12686/31), Mr Michel is the first European leader to visit the country since the new leadership took office in early March.
From Tripoli, Mr Michel, who also met the new President of the Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi, welcomed the efforts of Libyans to come together “in a spirit of national unity and reconciliation”.
“You have created an opportunity to rebuild your country”, he told Libyans, but warned that there was a precondition: “all foreign fighters and troops must leave the country”. Furthermore, he said that the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the respect of the UN arms embargo will be crucial in this process. “We encourage all institutions to ensure timely preparations for elections on 24 December”, he added.
While the EU is already committed to the country through the Berlin Process to actively support national reconciliation and has provided assistance in a wide range of areas, including economic governance and service delivery, the President of the European Council announced that the European Union is ready to increase its engagement. According to Mr Michel, it could provide expertise on economic recovery and governance, security and stabilisation based on the rule of law, human rights, gender equality and, “of course”, migration.
According to an EU source, the President of the European Council shared a number of concrete proposals on how EU support can accompany the Libyan government and people in this transition. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)