Germany Organizes Libya Conference To Shore Up Arms Embargo – OpEd

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Germany’s Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, has confirmed Germany will set up a UN-backed conference aiming at stopping arms-trafficking to Libya and reimpose the arms embargo. Future more, the international conference on the future of Libya to attempt force many regional actors to stop funding and arming the country’s warring sides.

The UN has admitted its strengthened arms embargo on the country has been totally ignored by a range of countries. Also, the UN envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, said “It remains abundantly clear that without the commitment of key external actors engaged in Libya, the conflict will continue.” Without mentioning them by name, Salame was mainly pointing to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

In addition, he has mentioned the view of an international role of the many regional actors, the war will continue indefinably, possibly turning the country into a new Syria.

Heiko Maas hinted at the problems ahead in terms of the aims and guest list for the conference.

Maas said, there is still a lot of work before we can have such a conference. But we have started working on a process because “Germany wants to launch a consultation process with all relevant actors.”

In the past there was two previous conferences, one in Palermo and another in Paris, failed to bring about any breakthrough before Haftar the military commander in the east of Libya, tried to capture the capital, Tripoli, this is the seat of the UN-recognized government.

Salamé address to the UN security council called for a three-stage process in the future conference firstly local ceasefires, secondly, a national conference finally, a national meeting inside Libya.

Maas stressed has been touring European and Middle East capitals in support of his conference plan. Salamé told the security council: “It remains abundantly clear that without the commitment of key external actors engaged in Libya, the conflict will continue.”

The UN panel of experts was investigating over 40 cases of arms embargo breaches of varying magnitude, “There have been no interdiction or searches conducted at sea, despite such activities being authorized by UN resolutions.

The aims of the conference was to send a strong message on the need for respect of the arms embargo, to commit to non-interference in Libyan affairs and to address the main causes of conflict as formulated by the Libyans themselves and to emphasise its clear and active support for whatever political formula the Libyans agree to.”

*Miral Sabry Al Ashry , Associate Professor at Future University (FUE), Political Mass Media Department

Prof. Miral Sabry AlAshry

Prof. Miral Sabry AlAshry is Co-lead for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield.

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