On Sunday, the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States in Libya welcomed the recent announcement made by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), of the signing of a comprehensive Action Plan for the withdrawal of all mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces from Libyan territory
In a joint statement, the five embassies announced that they join the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Jan Kubis in welcoming the announcement. This aligns with the ceasefire agreement of 23 October 2020, United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2570 (2021) and 2571(2021), and the outcomes of the Berlin Conferences.
“We recall in this regard that UNSCR 2570 called on all Libyan and foreign parties to implement the 23 October 2020 ceasefire agreement in full, including through the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya without further delay,” the statement added.
The five embassies also applauded the patriotism and commitment of the JMC members. They encouraged them to seize this opportunity to fully implement the ceasefire agreement.
They confirmed that the nationally-owned and led Action Plan they adopted in Geneva can be key to restore the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Libya.
“We also commend the emphasis on consulting and cooperating with international partners, notably, Libya’s neighbours in the implementation of the plan,” they noted.
In addition, the embassies further underlined the need for the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) of armed groups and all relevant non-state armed actors, for security sector reform (SSR) and the establishment of inclusive, accountable, civilian-led security architecture for Libya as a whole.
They also reaffirmed the need to combat terrorism in Libya by all means, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law and called on all parties to dissociate themselves from UN-listed terrorist groups and individuals.
“We recall that individuals or entities engaging in, or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, stability or security of Libya or that obstruct or undermine the successful completion of its political transition, may be designated by the Committee established pursuant to paragraph 24 of resolution 1970 (2011) for the travel ban and asset freeze measures,” the statement concluded.