The foreign ministers of France and Germany made an unannounced visit
Saturday to Tripoli in a show of support for the new unity government
striving to bridge Libya's deep political divisions.
IS claimed responsibility for a car bombing on Friday near the city of Benghazi that security sources said left two soldiers of the internationally recognised government dead and three wounded.
The militants claimed to have killed as many as 50 soldiers and destroyed 15 vehicles in the attack. Oil-flush Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed Gaddafi.
The country has had two rival administrations since mid-2014 when a militia alliance took over Tripoli, setting up its own authority and forcing the recognised parliament to flee to the remote east.
A UN-backed power-sharing deal in December was backed by some lawmakers by both sides.
Sarraj is expected to participate in the Luxembourg talks, probably by videolink.
"So maybe the visit is not just symbolic - they (Ayrault and Steinmeier) want to have a real discussion with Sarraj," Toaldo said.
The diplomatic push takes place against a backdrop of growing concerns that European efforts to shut down the migrant sea crossing from Turkey to Greece will encourage more people to set off from North Africa instead.
TRIPOLI: The foreign ministers of France and Germany made an
unannounced visit on Saturday (Apr 16) to Tripoli in a show of support
for the new unity government striving to bridge Libya's deep political
divisions.
World powers see the Government of National Accord (GNA) as a
crucial partner in tackling militants behind a string of deadly attacks
in Libya as well as human traffickers exploiting the country's turmoil.
France's Jean-Marc Ayrault and Germany's Frank-Walter
Steinmeier flew into the capital amid tight security for talks with the
UN-backed cabinet which has set up operations at a naval base in the
city.
The GNA is seeking "training for its police and military
forces", Ayrault told journalists after the two envoys met prime
minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj.
"There is the need to train them perhaps in the beginning
outside of Libya and this is what we will discuss on Monday," said
Steinmeier, referring to talks in Luxembourg on a possible EU mission to
assist Libya's police and border guards.
It is the latest in a flurry of visits by European diplomats who had
been absent since 2014 when EU member states closed their Tripoli
embassies as fighting shook the North African nation.
Their return was prompted by the arrival of the UN-backed
prime minister on March 30 by sea with a naval escort, after a rival
Tripoli authority closed the airspace to try to keep Sarraj out.
"France was one of the first countries to back Sarraj, and
the time has come to give a new impetus to that support," a French
diplomat said.
The visit comes two days before a crucial vote by the
country's recognised parliament on whether to endorse the GNA, and ahead
of the talks in Luxembourg.
Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni hailed the unity government as a "game changer" when he visited Tripoli on Tuesday.
The British, French and Spanish ambassadors flew in for
talks two days later, saying they were working towards reopening their
diplomatic missions there.
ALARM AT IS EXPANSION
European nations are increasingly alarmed by the expansion
of the Islamic State militant group in Libya, where it has established a
new stronghold just 300 kilometres (185 miles) away from Italy across
the Mediterranean.
The militants last year seized control of slain dictator Muammar
Gaddafis coastal hometown of Sirte and have used the city as a base to
stage a string of suicide bombings and attacks on oil facilities.IS claimed responsibility for a car bombing on Friday near the city of Benghazi that security sources said left two soldiers of the internationally recognised government dead and three wounded.
The militants claimed to have killed as many as 50 soldiers and destroyed 15 vehicles in the attack. Oil-flush Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed Gaddafi.
The country has had two rival administrations since mid-2014 when a militia alliance took over Tripoli, setting up its own authority and forcing the recognised parliament to flee to the remote east.
A UN-backed power-sharing deal in December was backed by some lawmakers by both sides.
But Sarraj has not yet received the endorsement of the
internationally recognised legislature, and the head of the rival
Tripoli-based administration, Khalifa Ghweil, has refused to recognise
his authority.
Mattia Toaldo, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign
Relations, said the European visit was "timely", coming days ahead of
the confidence vote in parliament and the meetings of EU foreign and
defence ministers.Sarraj is expected to participate in the Luxembourg talks, probably by videolink.
"So maybe the visit is not just symbolic - they (Ayrault and Steinmeier) want to have a real discussion with Sarraj," Toaldo said.
The diplomatic push takes place against a backdrop of growing concerns that European efforts to shut down the migrant sea crossing from Turkey to Greece will encourage more people to set off from North Africa instead.
Nearly 6,000 mostly African migrants have landed at southern
Italian ports since Tuesday, adding to concerns that the country is on
the verge of becoming the main entry point for people trying to reach
Europe.
- AFP/ec
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