On Tuesday, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the resumption of direct talks between Libya’s warring parties. This is within the 5+5 Joint Military Commission meetings in Geneva, which are taking place under the auspices of the UN.
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry called for the signing of a lasting ceasefire agreement, an end to the arms embargo violations, and the departure of foreign mercenaries from Libya’s territory. All these points are in accordance with the principles agreed upon at the Berlin Conference.
It added that France is set on ensuring that the intra-Libyan political dialogue moves forward in parallel to the framework proposed by the UN. This is with a view towards holding elections based on the parameters agreed upon by the Libyan people.
“Libya’s neighbouring countries, which have a vested interest in the country’s stabilisation, must be fully involved in this process,” the statement read.
Notably, the fourth round of the Libyan (5+5) Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks began yesterday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The deliberations of this round will continue until the 24th of this month.
Delegations of the two Libyan warring parties are participating in the talks. The Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Williams, is also attending.
UNSMIL said that the work of the 5+5 JMC, the security track, is one of the three intra-Libyan tracks facilitated by UNSMIL. This is along the economic and political tracks, which emerged from the 2020 Berlin Conference. UNSMIL called for a total ceasefire, and for the warring parties to put aside feelings of mistrust and to repudiate all hostilities.