World leaders are gathering today in Berlin to seek a lasting peace agreement in Libya as the war-torn country prepares for new elections.
The meeting includes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as well as the foreign ministers of France and Egypt.
Representatives of Libya’s interim government will also join the UN-sponsored meeting.
The meeting came as the second round of Berlin talks after the first attended by the US, UK, France, Russia and China, Italy, Turkey, the UAE, the EU and the UN in January 2020.
The second round is scheduled to deal with two main files, mainly the foreign mercenaries withdrawal and the upcoming elections.
Ahead of the talks, the EU has threatened to impose new sanctions on those obstructing either elections or the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.
For his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas reminded participants of pledges made in 2020 for an end to international meddling and for foreign militants or troops to withdraw.
“Those who promised to withdraw last time in Berlin have not kept their word,” said Maas in an interview with Die Welt daily.
Libya has been torn by a bloody civil war since 2011, following the end of a 40-year-long dictatorship by Muʿammar Gheddafi.
Since then, Libya has been divided between the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Haftar’s Libyan National Army in the country’s east.
However, an UN-led process produced a new interim government for Libya that promises free elections by the end of the year.
The EU has earlier welcomed a roadmap drawn up by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), that provides for Parliamentary and Presidential elections on 24 December 2021.
