Joint Statement - Libya - International Follow-up Commitee of the Berlin Conference on Libya (16 December 2020)

The international follow-up committee of the Berlin conference on Libya met yesterday under the co-chairmanship of France and the United Nations and with the presence in Paris of the acting Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya, Stephanie Williams.

This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the substantial progress recently witnessed in Libya, in particular the signing of a ceasefire agreement on 23 October in Geneva by the 5+5 Joint Military Committee, several meetings of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, the progress made regarding oil production, and to review the humanitarian and human rights situation, particularly in the context of the current health crisis.

The decision taken by the Central Bank of Libya’s Board of Directors to unify the country’s exchange rates represents a welcome move forward towards alleviating the suffering of the Libyan people.

Stephanie Williams urged all Libyan and international actors to show responsibility and seize the opportunity to build a stable and sovereign Libya. She also reported on the ongoing discussions, particularly on political and economic issues, indicating that they were moving in the right direction, but that several obstacles remained.

France stressed that the situation remained fragile and volatile, due to the continued presence of foreign forces and mercenaries on the ground, which could hamper the success of the political process. France called for a collective commitment by all members of the Berlin Process to break the status quo and avoid a resumption of hostilities. France also reaffirmed the need to achieve a profound reform of Libyan financial institutions and to address the very precarious humanitarian situation which negatively impacts many Libyans as well as migrants and refugees.

France reiterated its strong commitment to a political settlement of the conflict and to the success of the current momentum in order to enable Libya to regain its stability.