We as the current and previous European Union members of the Security Council, welcome the Berlin Conference on Libya on 19 January and express our full support to the agreed conclusions and the operational annex. It was a very important step forward.
We express our full support to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ghassan Salamé and to his three step plan. The Berlin Conference constituted as step two of this process.
We call upon the Council to show unity in action and thus to adopt the resolution today that endorses the Berlin Conference Conclusions. By adopting the resolution today, the Council can send a strong and clear message by the international community to the Libyan parties that the conflict in Libya must end.
The resolution seeks to reinforce the central role of the UN, notably UNSMIL, especially regarding the implementation of the Berlin Conference Conclusions. We will pay the utmost attention to the Secretary-General’s recommendations in this regard, which should be presented to the Security Council in a timely manner.
The European Union stands fully ready to support the United Nations led mediation process and UNSMIL’s efforts.
The adoption would also be timely before the inaugural meeting of the International Follow-up Committee at Ministerial level scheduled for 16 February at the margins of the Munich Security Conference. The IFC will work on the various subject areas of the conference conclusions and will oversee the implementation of the Berlin Conference Conclusions.
It is clear that there is no military solution in Libya. We condemn the violations of the commitments agreed upon during the Berlin conference.
All Member States should refrain from exacerbating the conflict and strictly comply with the UN arms embargo. The international community should seek to reinforce its monitoring under the auspices of the UN and provide more information to the UN panel of experts.
The most urgent step is to reach an agreement on a lasting ceasefire. In this regard, we welcome the first 5+5 Joint Military Commission meeting in Geneva last week and urge the parties to swiftly move towards such an agreement. It will be key to monitor the ceasefire, once agreed, and, in the resolution to be adopted today, the Council would task the Secretary-General to provide options for that monitoring.
The only viable solution in Libya is a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process and every effort needs to be made to achieve that. The latter should be done in close coordination with the African Union, the League of Arab States, the European Union and the neighbouring countries.