Press release

Joint statement on efforts to de-escalate tensions in southern Libya

The UK, France, Italy and US reiterate support for credible and secure elections in Libya.

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

The governments of the UK, France, Italy, and the United States gave a statement:

The governments of France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States reiterate their strong support to the ongoing efforts of UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Ghassan Salamé and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to de-escalate tensions in Libya and help the Libyan people chart a path toward credible and secure elections.

We welcome UN leadership in convening Prime Minister al-Sarraj and LNA Commander Haftar on February 27 and commend the efforts of the Government of the United Arab Emirates to facilitate this discussion. We welcome the announcement by UNSMIL that a political agreement could be reached on the need to end the transitional stages in Libya through holding general elections, and on ways to maintain stability in the country and unify its institutions.

Mindful that there is no military solution in Libya, we call on all Libyans to work constructively with SRSG Salamé and seize this vital opportunity to realise a stable and unified government that can deliver security and prosperity for all Libyans.

We also welcome the announcement by the Government of National Accord that parties have agreed to resume oil production at the al-Sharara field. All sides should promptly implement this agreement in order to allow the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to resume its vital work for the benefit of all Libyans.‎ These Libyan resources must remain under the exclusive control of the NOC and sole oversight of the Government of National Accord, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolutions 2259 (2015), 2278 (2016), and 2362 (2017).

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Published 2 March 2019