Germany threatens further sanctions over Libya arms embargo violations
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned on Tuesday
that foreign powers that continue to violate an arms embargo designed to stop
the flow of weapons into war-torn Libya could face new sanctions.
The German official made the remarks during a visit
to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he referenced January’s peace summit
in Berlin, when international governments expressed their commitment to
upholding the long-flouted U.N. embargo.
“Ultimately, we have to be able to rely on everyone
who signed the agreement in Berlin … adhering to what they signed,” Deutsche
Welle Turkish cited Maas as saying. “I also wouldn’t rule out further
sanctions.”
The Berlin peace summit ended with an agreement
signed by 16 states and organisations to more strictly enforce the U.N. arms
embargo and end military backing for the North African country's warring
factions. But the deal has failed to bring peace to the oil-rich country.
Turkey in Libya backs the Tripoli-based Government
of National Accord (GNA) in its fight against rebel General Khalifa Haftar’s
Libyan National Army (LNA), which is supported by Egypt, Russia, and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), among others.
Turkey has provided air support, weapons and allied
fighters from Syria to help the GNA repel a year-long assault by LNA commander
Haftar.
