Summit on Libyan peace to open in Berlin

The leaders of Germany, Russia, Turkey, and France are set to meet in Berlin to discuss ways to end the conflict in the North African country of Libya.

The talks, to be held under the auspices of the United Nations (UN), are scheduled to start in the German capital at around 02:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) on Sunday.

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and Khalifa Haftar, the commander of rebel militia groups, are also expected to attend the gathering.

The conference is aimed at ending the armed fighting between the government and Haftar’s rebel forces. It will also discuss the interference of foreign powers in the Libyan conflict through the provision of weapons, troops, and financing.

“All foreign interference can provide some aspirin effect in the short term, but Libya needs all foreign interference to stop. That’s one of the objectives of this conference,” Ghassan Salame, the UN’s special envoy for Libya, told AFP on the eve of the meeting.

Draft communiqué calls for commitment to non-interference, peace

In a draft communiqué ahead of the summit, the UN has expressed hope that all sides would sign up to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that would lead to a lasting end to hostilities.

The document calls on all parties to recommit to a UN arms embargo on Libya and raises the prospect of intra-Libyan political talks in Geneva at the end of the month.

The draft also urges all parties to refrain from hostilities against oil facilities in Libya, and also recognizes the Tripoli-based state oil company NOC as the sole legitimate entity allowed to sell Libyan oil.

Haftar’s forces blocked oil exports from the war-ravaged country’s main ports on Saturday.

The move to cripple the country’s main source of income was framed by the rebel forces as a protest against Turkey’s decision to send troops to shore up the Libyan government.

SS