UNSMIL: Fighting in Oil Crescent undermines efforts at dialogue and will have “serious negative impact” on economy

By Libya Herald staff.

Tripoli, 17 December 2014:

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has said that it is “deeply alarmed” . . .[restrict]by efforts by both Libya Dawn and the Libyan National Army (LNA) to reinforce and consolidate their positions in the Oil Crescent area and has warned that the escalation undermines efforts to convene the dialogue and will severely damage the Libyan economy.

To avert making an already disastrous situation across the country worse, UNSMIL has called on all forces on the ground to disengage and retreat from the Oil Crescent area immediately.

All parties should desist from any action that endangers the country’s primary source of income and obstructs efforts at national dialogue, the mission said.

“Libyan oil is a strategic asset that belongs to all the Libyan people who deserve an opportunity for stability and prosperity,” UNSMIL added.

The mission went on to remind all parties that those advocating military escalation and actively creating obstacles to a “consensual political solution” to Libya’s crisis were in violation of Security Council resolution 2174 (2014), and they would face targeted sanctions. [/restrict]