EU sees ‘new hope’ for Libya with cease-fire
The European Union said Saturday it saw “new hope”
for Libya after the country’s rival administrations declared a cease-fire and
said they would hold nationwide elections.
The surprise development on Friday followed multiple
visits by top foreign diplomats to Libya in recent weeks, and came after a
series of agreements and pledges that, however, have failed to be implemented.
EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell described it as a
“constructive first step forward.”
The announcement “demonstrates the determination of
the Libyan leaders to overcome the current stalemate and creates a new hope for
a common ground toward a peaceful political solution to the longstanding Libyan
crisis and the termination of all foreign interference throughout the country,”
he said.
He urged “concrete actions” to enable a permanent
cease-fire and a relaunch of the political process, requiring “the departure of
all foreign fighters and mercenaries present in Libya” as well as the
resumption of peace negotiations “in the framework of the UN-led Berlin
process.”
Borrell also called on all Libyan parties to
implementat economic reform “with a view to agreeing on a fair and transparent
distribution mechanism for oil revenues and to enhancing the governance of
Libyan economic and financial institutions.”
Libya has been torn by violence since the 2011
toppling and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed
uprising.
