By Janet Ekstract
İSTANBUL (TURKISH JOURNAL) – The Berlin Summit hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday in Germany achieved commitments from attending parties that the Libya conflict will not have a military solution.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a comprehensive plan was agreed on at Sunday’s Berlin Summit on the Libya crisis as well as new measures to strictly observe an arms embargo in Libya. Merkel explained: “All participants agreed that the documents we adopted today must also be approved by the UN Security Council so that they would have an international official significance.”
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan who reiterated how important Turkey is to peace in Libya, opposed the EU’S offer to be part of the Libya process as a coordinator. Erdogan explained: “We see the kind of games that are being played under the guise of fighting terrorism (in Libya). The Turkish leader emphasised that compliance with a ceasefire in Libya brokered by Russia and Turkey will pave the way for a political solution.
The secretary-general expressed his deep concerns about the current oil embargo instigated by renegade warlord Khalifa Haftar that’s blocking oil exports out of Libya to a loss of $55M USD daily. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also expressed his concerns about the oil being blocked and said he hopes this will not continue.
The UN chief expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of the summit and explained that there are three tracks being implemented in the Libya process. The first one is economic and deals with the reform of Libya ‘s central bank and other related finance business; the second one is the formation of a military commitee with representatives from both sides to broker a ceasefire and the third track is related to dealing with The National Oil Corporation.
All participating parties signed a 55-point communique where they pledged to respect the UN arms embargo. Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and warlord Khalifa Haftar both attended the conference but according to reports – neither one participated and they did not meet one another. Merkel stressed that there is an “arduous road” ahead on the Libyan front especially in light of the fact that Haftar forces reportedly violated the ceasefire in the last two days.
Guterres commented that there absolutely must be a political solution for Libya but that that can only happen when a genuine ceasefire takes place.
