UK Minister discusses conflict in Libya at Munich Security Conference
Minister of State James Cleverly has discussed the ongoing conflict in Libya with international partners in the margins of the Munich Security Conference.
The attendees of the Berlin Conference on Libya have met in the margins of the Munich Security Conference, in the first meeting of the International Follow Up Committee to the Berlin Conference.
James Cleverly, Minister of State, represented the UK. This follows the adoption of a UK-led resolution by the United Nations Security Council this week, Resolution 2510, calling for a lasting ceasefire and return to a UN-led political process in Libya.
The resolution, and today’s Munich meeting, build on January’s Berlin Conference on Libya; where the Prime Minister, alongside other world leaders, undertook to bolster UN efforts to resolve the long-standing conflict.
James Cleverly, joint Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, said:
Today in Munich I reiterated the message sent by the UN Security Council’s adoption of the UK-led UNSCR 2510: we need to see an end to the conflict in Libya and the suffering of the Libyan people. External actors must stop sending arms and troops to Libya and work with UN Envoy Ghassan Salamé to end the conflict.
The resolution also calls for an end to foreign military interference in Libya. This is exacerbating the conflict, prolonging the suffering of the Libyan people, and heightening regional tensions.
The resolution demands full compliance with the UN arms embargo, and an end to the use of foreign mercenaries, a major problem on both sides of the conflict.
It makes clear that individuals or entities who breach the arms embargo or the ceasefire may be sanctioned with travel bans and asset freezes.