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By Callum Paton.
Tripoli, 12 January 2014:
The EU delegation in Libya has called on groups involved in blockades of eastern oil terminals . . .[restrict]to avoid obstructing the country’s economic development through “unlawful actions”.
Speaking in Brussels. Michael Mann, the spokesman for EU High Representative for foreign affairs Catherine Ashton, said on Friday that the EU was concerned about the use of force by armed groups against state institutions, including the illegal seizure of energy facilities. He said that the EU had noted the declaration of a Cyrenaican government . It hoped that these issues could be resolved peacefully.
Mann added that current constitutional drafting processes should provide a framework to discuss problems, including the degree of autonomy of the different regions and the distribution of the income from the country’s natural resources.
The EU delegation in Libya said today: “We continue to encourage the Libyan authorities and relevant stakeholders to resolve their differences peacefully, through dialogue and compromise and to the benefit of the whole of Libyan society.”
The EU delegation in Tripoli informed the Libya Herald that the delegation had had no contact with the Political Bureau of Cyrenaica and only dealt with the democratically elected bodies of Congress and the government. He added that the EU had no plans to recognise an independent Cyrenaica and that Brussels fully respected the Libyan Constitutional Declaration and the transition roadmap which it contains.
The EU delegation in Libya reiterated its support for the country “along its path to democracy, stability, security and prosperity”. It urged “all political actors and stakeholders to reach a consensual political settlement that sets the transition process back on track”.
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