Foreign
GERMANY’s top diplomat, Heiko Maas, on Monday arrived Libya for a previously unannounced visit intended to spur international efforts to resolve the country’s long-running conflict.
It was Maas’ first visit to Libya following a summit in Berlin in January, when world powers agreed to a peace process for the war-torn country that had largely fallen flat.
“We see a deceptive calm in Libya at the moment. Both sides and their international allies are continuing to arm the country on a massive scale and are maintaining pre-conditions for a ceasefire,” Maas said.
Maas is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Fayez Serraj in the capital Tripoli to discuss how to achieve peace between the leader of Libya’s internationally recognised government and military strongman General Khalifa Haftar.
Germany’s mediation efforts have focused on preventing foreign intervention in the civil war, which began in 2011.
Serraj has the backing of Turkey and Qatar, while Haftar is supported by Egypt, Russia, and UAE.
European countries are keen to see the conflict resolved, as chaos in Libya has provided ideal conditions for people-smugglers to operate in the Mediterranean Sea, bringing migrants from North Africa to Europe.
The EU has launched the Irini naval mission in a bid to enforce a long-flouted UN arms embargo for Libya.
Meanwhile, Germany, France, and Italy had so far launched an initiative to impose EU sanctions on individuals and companies that provide ships and aircraft for the transportation of arms. (dpa/NAN)
– Aug. 17, 2020 @ 12:45 GMT |
Tags: Germany FM arrives in war-torn Libya meeting set with Serraj
