By Sami Zaptia.
London, 14 May 2019:
The EU Council said that the attack on Tripoli by the forces aligned to Khalifa Hafter and his Libyan National Army (LNA) is a threat to international peace and security and threatens the stability of Libya. It called for an immediate ceasefire and for both parties to distance themselves from any terrorist groups.
It reaffirmed its support for Ghassan Salame and UNSMIL and called for a return to dialogue.
Here is the full statement:
The Council discussed the situation in Libya.
The Council today discussed the situation in Libya and adopted the following statement:
“The LNA military attack on Tripoli and the subsequent escalation in and around the capital constitutes a threat to international peace and security and further threatens the stability of Libya.
Furthermore, it enhances the risk of increased terrorist threat across the country.
The EU reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya.
The EU calls on all parties to immediately implement a ceasefire and to engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities. It also calls on them to dissociate themselves both publicly and on the ground from terrorist and criminal elements involved in the fighting, and from those suspected of war crimes, including individuals listed by the UN Security Council.
The EU is deeply concerned at the loss of human life, the growing number of internally displaced persons and the impact on migration flows. All parties must protect civilians, including migrants and refugees, by allowing and facilitating a safe, rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and services to all those affected, and as stipulated under the International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law.
The EU recalls that indiscriminate attacks on densely populated residential areas may amount to war crimes. Those breaching International Humanitarian Law must be held to account.
The EU recalls that there is no military solution to the crisis in Libya and urges all parties to re-commit to the United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and work towards a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Libya as agreed in Paris in May 2018, in Palermo in November 2018, and in Abu Dhabi in February 2019 in order to pave the way for holding the national elections.
The EU reaffirms its full support for the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). It urges all parties to fully respect the arms embargo and refrain from any actions that could further undermine the UN-facilitated political dialogue. It also urges them to engage constructively with the SRSG with the aim of achieving a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political solution through an inclusive political process, with the full participation of women, to bring security, political and economic sustainability, and national unity to Libya”.
