U.S. Chargée d’affaires Robin Quinville bids farewell to State Secretary Antony Blinken from Berlin – Picture by State Department.
Wednesday, 23 June 2021, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany: In the framework of the Berlin Process, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and UN Secretary-General António Guterres invited state parties to a II Berlin Conference on Libya.
The main issues on the agenda were i) the implementation of the political roadmap adopted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum for the period leading up to the national elections to be held on 24 December 2021, and ii) the complete implementation of the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2020, including the departure withdrawal of foreign fighters.
In Berlin, the question of how the international community can support these the goals set on the agenda were discussed. A further important topic was the merging of Libyan security forces with a view to strengthening the interim Government’s monopoly on the use of legitimate force.
The Conference marked the start of a new phase of the Berlin Process in which the interim Government is involved in the talks. Unlike in January 2020, when the Conference talked about Libya, they are now talking with Libyan leaders.
The Libyan interim National Unity Government was represented by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and Foreign Minister Najla El Mangoush. Through the Berlin Process, the Federal Government is supporting UN mediation efforts to end the conflict in Libya. The U.S. was represented at the conference by State Secretary Antony Blinken, Italy’s chief of diplomacy, Luigi di Maio also made the trip to Berlin for it. Both chiefs of diplomacy were accompanied by their respective top envoys in Berlin, Chargée d’affaires Robin S. Quinville for the USA, and Ambassador Armando Varricchio for the Italian Republic.
For further information:
German Foreign Office: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/laenderinformationen/libyen-node/second-conference-libya/2467486
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/maas-conference-libya/2467684
