Germany to unite major players on Libyan war
Print Edition
Germany is bringing together the key players in Libya’s long-running civil war in a bid to curb foreign military meddling, solidify a ceasefire and help relaunch a political process to determine the North African nation’s future.
Chancellor Angela Merkel invited leaders from 12 countries as well as the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League to yesterday’s summit at the chancellery in Berlin.
Germany’s monthslong diplomatic drive seeks to bolster efforts to stop the fighting in Libya by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame.
Among those expected are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other countries invited are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, China and the Republic of Congo.
Also invited are Libya’s two main rival leaders: Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and General Khalifa Hifter. Merkel and her foreign minister met them at the chancellery before the summit.
Rival governments
While getting the players to the table is an achievement, recent stepped-up outside support may have emboldened both sides not to compromise.
Since the 2011 ouster and killing of Moammar Gadhafi, the country has sunk further into chaos and turmoil. Libya is divided into rival administrations, each with the backing of different nations: the UN-recognized government based in Tripoli, headed by Sarraj, and one based in the country’s east, supported by Hifter’s forces.
Hifter’s forces have been on the offensive since April, laying siege to Tripoli in an effort to capture the capital and battling militias aligned with the government.
A truce brokered this month by Russia and Turkey marked the first break in fighting in months.
Erdogan met Putin in Berlin just before the summit. The Russian leader said: “We will sincerely strive for the conflict to be resolved.”
Germany’s priority is to try to get outside players that have interests in the conflict on the same page, stem the flow of weapons and ensure sticks — creating space for UN-led efforts to re-establish a political process in Libya.
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