EU foreign ministers to discuss Libya on Monday

A meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council chaired by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will take place in Brussels on Monday, to discuss the situation in Libya.

"Ministers will discuss about the latest developments in Libya, following up on the Foreign Affairs Councils from 10 and 20 January. During the previous two meetings, the Council had expressed concern over the aggravating crisis in the country, agreeing on the need for EU engagement to prevent further escalation," a statement on the EU Council website says.

The foreign ministers will also discuss EU relations with the African Union and India, as well as the recent developments in the Sahel region and the Middle East peace process (taking into account the controversial peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump last month, which has been criticized by Borrell as running "contrary to international law and UN Security Council resolutions").

On Sunday, the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, China, the US, the UK and other participants in the Berlin conference on Libya called on the Libyan opposing sides to accelerate negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

Tensions between Libya's rival power structures, the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) escalated last year, when the LNA launched an operation to retake the GNA-held capital Tripoli.

On January 19, Berlin hosted an international conference on Libyan reconciliation, attended by over a dozen states and entities, including Russia and the United States. The conference resulted in a joint communique in which the signatories pledged to refrain from aiding either of the warring parties in Libya and observe the arms embargo.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Sunday that the African Union must be fully included in the Libyan settlement process.