A summit in Berlin has ended in a landmark agreement aimed at limiting external interference in Libya’s civil war with a number of foreign powers signing an agreement that will also push the country’s warring factions towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the media on Monday that Sunday’s agreement advances a political process and rules out a military solution to the conflict, which has escalated, Al Jazeera reported.
“We reached an agreement on a comprehensive plan to support a ceasefire in Libya,” it quoted Merkel as saying, acknowledging the road to peace would be long and arduous.
“We all agree that we should respect the arms embargo and that the arms embargo should be controlled more strongly than it has been in the past.”
In the declaration, the signatories committed to “refraining from interference in the armed conflict or in the internal affairs of Libya and urge all international actors to do the same”.
Free elections, the distribution of oil resources, the disarming of militias and progress towards forming a single government all form part of the agreement.
However, punitive action against those violating the embargo is not on the cards.
The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is being supported by Turkey while the self-styled Libya National Army (LNA), led by renegade General Khalifa Haftar has support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia.
LNA forces invaded the capital Tripoli last April in a bid to overthrow government forces from the GNA, with neither side gaining traction as the fighting continues.
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