IMAGE: kremlin.ru
The participants of the Berlin summit have agreed on a comprehensive settlement plan for the Libyan conflict, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on January 19.
Merkel made her announcement in a press conference following the end of the talks, which were attended by high representatives from Russia, Algeria, the UK, Egypt, the UAE, China, Turkey, France and the U.S.
“We had very intense consultations here in Berlin. And we managed to make a contribution, give a new impetus to the political process in Libya, to bring peace to the country and the Libyan people. I believe that the conference in Berlin supported the UN-sponsored peace process”, Sputnik quoted the German Chancellor as saying.
Merkel said that the representatives of warring factions in Libya agreed to form a five-by-five military commissions. She added that the agreement reached in the summit will be approved by the UN Security Council, thus becoming a part of the political settlement process.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reports after attending the summit that it was on Russia’s initiative that the representatives of the two major warring factions in Libya were invited to the talks in Berlin.
“It would eventually be up to Libyans themselves to engage in a genuine and meaningful dialogue that would eventually help Libya overcome its current crisis,” Lavrov added, according to RT.
Libya’s biggest two factions, the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA), have not yet commented on the outcome of the summit. Lavrov described the Berlin conference as as “small step” ahead and added that the GNA and the LNA should approve the reached agreements. It should be noted that representatives of the GNA and the LNA hold no direct talks in Berlin.
LNA’s Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar is set to visit Moscow following the Berlin press conference, where he will hold talks on the ongoing efforts to settle the Libyan conflict.
The fact that the Berlin document will have to be approved by the UN Security Council makes the Libyan peace process dependent on other geopolitical issues. On top of that, the unconditional ceasefire goes against interests of the LNA, which has an upper hand in an open military confrontation with the GNA. Haftar may regret that he agreed to participate in the Berlin negotiations format, where he faced a joint pressure from Western powers involved in the conflict.
Restrained remarks by Germany and other powers involved demonstrate that the real achievements of the Berlin format are much smaller than Merkel and other Western powers try to demonstrate. Even if all the sides involved really want to achieve peace, the implementation of proposed peace efforts will be a very complicated task.
Italy already declared that it’s ready to send forces to particiapte in operations to monitor the ceasefire. However, it remains unclear in what kind of monitoring operation Italy wants to participate. For example, in soft conditions of eastern Europe, peace-monitoring operations in the Ukraine conflict zone by the OSCE demonstrated the lack of any success. Therefore, it is hard to imagine such an operation in the conditions of the modern Libya.
Other topics in question are the arms embargo and foreign military involvement. Right now, Turkey is actively deploying its proxy forces from Syria to Libya and sending military equipment to Libya. If the LNA supporters turn a blind eye to this and halt own supplies, the GNA will use this to strengthen its positions and make another attempt to shift the balance of power in the area of Tripoli. As to the military involvement of foreign powers, it’s hard to imagine that any foreign force deployed – Turkish, French or Italian – will voluntarily withdraw from the country and allow its competitors to fill the created vacuum.
The Berlin conference led to no breakthrough in the Libyan peace process. It demonstrated that the country has become a part of the ongoing regional military and political standoff and now its future is strongly linked to actions of foreign players involved in the conflict.
Turkey having supposedly struck a deal with Tripoli over exploration rights in the Med, only makes any future political settlement like having a camel go through an eye of a needle.
Proxy Wars and Proxy Riots seem to be popular these days.
Western hyena pack nations are too soft, broke and casualty averse to fight conventional wars as they started two major ones in the past 30 years, i.e Afghanistan and Iraq and are still stuck there with nothing to show for. We are now in an era of 5GW (5th generation warfare) pioneered by Hezbollah and Iran which takes a strategic view of warfare against better armed opponents. However, the Iranian hybrid model is based on resistance while the Americunt dumbass morons are using it to promote hybrid terrorism based on their “victorious experience” against the USSR in Afghanistan, which was a one off and largely result of Soviet internal problems than Americunt success. However, now as Libya, Syria and Iraq are proving that even proxy terrorism is not working out for NATO poodles. Unless you put determined boots on the ground and hold territory and be prepared for casualties than nothing works out.
Bang on the money. Well said.
Who said that?
Turkey and Libya’s Maritime Deal: Partnership or Poisoned Chalice? “In early December 2019, Turkey and Libya signed a deal to formalize their maritime border, creating an exclusive economic zone that spans the Mediterranean. Since being ratified by both countries’ internationally recognized parliaments, the deal has opened a Pandora’s box in a region facing the dual curse of a race to exploit the newly discovered hydrocarbons under the seabed and the dark cloud of geopolitical animosity.” https://fanack.com/libya/history-past-to-present/turkey-and-libya-maritime-deal/
Turkish economy is in dire straits and it is like a hungry fox looking at the Libyan oil and gas reserves but unfortunately for the dumb Turkeys so are other snakes like NATO, Zionists and Egypt. Libya has been ruined and the EU poodles are more anxious about African migration now.
Compare the above photo with this one:
https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/donald-trump-angela-merkel-g7-summit.jpg?w=800&quality=85
Who is the adult in the room?
The cameraman of course.
There are 4 states that shouldn’t be there; US, UK, France and Germany. They are the 4 that violated JCPOA and are bound to eventually violate and destroy any agreement made with Libya.
Unfortunately there is no way around these guys. Otherwise Libyans , Russia would not bother to talk with them.
True but there is a way around them; have them place a significant monetary bond before any agreements are signed.
How to force them? I think you overestimate power of Russia. US+West they do whatever they want and nobody can force them only by words into doing anything …Unless of course weapons are used against them or their interests ,unless wining war is used against them.
One is rather restricted on these sites; you never know whom you are communicating with. Regarding Russia; I don’t estimate anything with them nor with any other nation except where I reside and a citizen of. We all have our own theories regarding global issues and we all have our own experiences to support our theories, assumptions and hypothesis.
I do prefer the Russians over any other foreign state; I have my own reasons.
That’s factually untrue. The UK, France and Germany have never violated the JCPOA; they invoked an article in it. They have done everything to keep the deal: “The foreign ministers of the U.K., France and Germany — half of the deal’s remaining signatories — announced Tuesday that they are lodging a formal complaint that Iran is not meeting its commitments. To do so, they are triggering a dispute resolution mechanism in the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The move launches a negotiation period of up to 60 days, during which the countries will seek to bring Iran back into full compliance. Should that process fail, U.N. sanctions on Tehran that were lifted as part of the deal, including an arms embargo, are likely to be reinstated.
Still, the three countries stressed that their goal is the deal’s survival, not the resumption of sanctions.”
As for Germany, it emerged that indeed 103 soldiers participated in the NATO attack against Lybia. That’s unfortunate, it was wrong. However, there are countries that recognise their mistakes. If you asked people in G today, they will overwhelmingly tell it was wrong to be sucked into a NATO war. So, grown up people learn and come to discuss. That is the right thing to do. Putin thankfully knows that, as he’s both intelligent and mature. He understands that politics are always relational, that there are interdependencies and that any opportunity for such countries to get together and talk is a golden one. So, you’re as wrong as one can be. These countries should be there and some of them aren’t the least trustworthy ones.
Don’t know where you get your information from but it is significantly different to what is posted on the internet not CNN and the like.
Germany, UK and France have not upheld their commitments and that is a fact.
Well, the real merit of the conference remains to be seen. “No breakthrough” is a propagandistic assessment as such a thing must be achieved on the ground – never in a conference.
One thing must be f….. clear and thats why we had the war on Libya, the west wanted something done with the pesky Libyan Gaddafy, and what this man achived is remarkable by nay standards, for the Libyans, never ever forget that, and then came the west, with an overload of propaganda directed at Libyan with an laser like effect, and drowned the MSM with staggering amount of flat out lies, acusations just made up as the war continued, etc, to NGOs wilde reports, to so called “goverment sources” to unofficial bollocks incl some dash of mindboggling nonsense as viagra. The level of attacks where jaw dropping and the scope of the attacks was all over, Libya was their beta test on taking out Arab nations, how to play the fiddle and polarisation is the game, and when I say everything you know about Libya, is by large bullshit and thats it.
Gaddafy was an f….. hero. Hell, I liked the man, extravagant, well, I think He had humor, along with wisdom. And you all fell for an Man that for me had the balls to be him self. An sort of “liberatche” among state leaders. Hehe.
The second thing that should not be doubted, is that what Libyans wants is to be left alone, they can build up their nation alone, they have the oil etc to turism, and trade is peace is the fundation, I dont think it will be an problem, what comes out this days is that the same mofo whom bommbed it back to the stone age, some parts even worse than that, is again standing there and insits that they are an part of the solution, they should just gett the f….. out and leave Libya to the Libyan people, that shouldnt be an question, and then let f…. like the French, the Italians, etc back is an insult to the Libyan people, at the moment when Libya needs peace first and foremost, and I dont like the GNA at all, they are the problem, and everybody else is basically Libyas, but somehow the west pretend the GNA is an legitim Gov, its not, its an sham. Cutt the head off, and the problem is solved and justice given to the Libyan people, and get the f…. out, all of them, uncontitionaly and right now, would be prefereable.
Libya, was the stepping stone for Syria, and right now, ricoshetting back again from Syria where they are beaten, and should be effectivly wacked to oblivion if it wasnt for the same west is somehow backing the “rebel forces” against The Dick Assad. And now shipped to Libya. Yeah, how f…. convinient, right. There we have the third issue, everything is imposed upon Libya and the same scums refuses to acknowledge anything, and instist they do this for Libyans and the peaceprocess, yeah, I got some bridges to sell you, I may even give one for free, if you buy two. But all in all, the Truks, by some obscure reason, makes sense, because Putin is kicking his legs under the table, ?. But atleast some progress will come in the near future, anything less is an failure, and I back anyone whom is giving everything back to the Libyan hands, regardeless of previous sins, that isnt an issue for me, the issue is Libya and Libyans. Blessed be the peacemakers.
peace
Has anybody noticed that since Russia has got involved with running Peace Negotiations, how it has speeded up the process, when the West tries to get involved and takes all the credit?