The attempt by Germany to foster efforts at restoring peace to Libya ended with world leaders agreeing that a UN arms embargo be enforced.
The Libya peace summit which took place in Berlin agreed on Sunday that enforcing the arms embargo will help end military backing for the North African country’s warring factions.
The agreement was signed by 16 states and organizations and sets out plans for international efforts to monitor its implementation.
Enforcing the embargo has failed for almost a decade plunging Libya into further crisis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: “We agreed on a comprehensive plan forward. I can say that all participants worked really constructively together.”
“We all agree that we should respect the arms embargo, and that it should be controlled more strongly than it has been in the past,” she said.
She added that the leaders who attended the summit had agreed to continue to hold additional meetings to ensure the process continues so that “the people in Libya get their right to a peaceful life.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier urged World powers to “refrain from interference” in the conflict in Libya.
He told reporters at a news conference that “I cannot stress enough the summit’s conclusion that there is no military solution to the conflict in Libya.”
“I hope the commitments made today will contribute to a lasting solution to the Libya crisis. We need to have a cease-fire. We cannot monitor something that doesn’t exist,” Guterres said. “We have a truce.”
The head of Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, and Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), were both in Berlin.
Hafta is a former officer in Muammar Gaddafi’s army who wants to topple the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.
The battle over Tripoli which started in April last year has led to the displacement of millions with thousands sustaining injuries.
Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is ruled by factions.
Source: Africafeeds.com
