The date for the Berlin conference on Libya and the list of invited participants will be determined only after the preparations are finished, Ghassan Salame, the UN special representative in Libya, told Sputnik
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2019) The date for the Berlin conference on Libya and the list of invited participants will be determined only after the preparations are finished, Ghassan Salame, the UN special representative in Libya, told Sputnik.
German Ambassador to Libya Oliver Owcza announced in September that Germany had begun consultations on a Libya peace conference after Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed that key nations should gather in Berlin to seek a solution to the eight-year-long crisis.
"We have agreed with our German partners, who host this meeting, that we will not set the date and pick participants until the preparations are finished," Salame said.
He has noted that the preliminary consultations already took place in September and the preparations will be resumed in three days, in Berlin, where Salame will have a meeting with Chancellor Merkel, during which the conference's date might be adopted.
The special representative has outlined the main issues of the upcoming meeting, which will include implementing a ceasefire and an embargo on arms smuggling, continuing the political talks, adopting necessary economic and financial measures, providing security in the Libyan capital of Tripoli and the vicinity, and issues concerning humanitarian activity in the country.
By the end of the conference, a monitoring commission is set to be established, to supervise implementation of decisions adopted during the meeting, according to the UN official.
Commenting upon the recent memorandum on sea boundaries between Turkey and the Libyan Government of National Accord, which has already provoked strong reactions from Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt, Salame has cautioned against creating additional tensions that would complicate the peace process.
"The UN cannot interfere with the decisions of sovereign countries, but we already have so many problems and hurdles on the path of the political process, which is why we regret [appearance of] any new problems. I hope that all states recognize the danger of the Libyan situation and will not take steps that will only complicate the search for a political solution," he added.
Libya is currently ruled by two competing governments. The country's east is controlled by the Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, and its west is governed by the UN-backed Government of National Accord. Since April, the sides have been engaged in an open military confrontation.
