German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday that he and his counterparts from France, Turkey and the United Kingdom expressed concern that the call for a ceasefire in Libya had no effect, but rather led to a military escalation and violation of the arms embargo
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday that he and his counterparts from France, Turkey and the United Kingdom expressed concern that the call for a ceasefire in Libya had no effect, but rather led to a military escalation and violation of the arms embargo.
"With great concern, we recognize that the call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Libya, particularly now in the holy month of Ramadan, has remained largely ineffective. Instead, we are still in an escalation spiral with ongoing fighting and further arms deliveries to both sides," Maas said after holding a video conference call with foreign ministers from the three countries.
The German diplomat reiterated that the four countries would not stop reminding the participants of the Berlin conference on Libya of their obligations, including at the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
The conference on Libya was held in Berlin in January, where participating countries committed to supporting the war-torn country through the restoration of peace. In particular, the participants agreed to halt arms supplies to Libya as a measure of non-interference in the civil conflict between two rival administrations. Among these countries were Algeria, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, the Republic of the Congo, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Libya is currently torn between the two main centers of power � an elected parliament in the country's east, supported by the Libyan National Army, and the UN-backed Government of National Accord in the country's west.
