Turkey sidelined, its hopes dashed by Berlin conference

Nahla Abdelmonem

The countries attending the Berlin conference on Libya tried to find a way to end the crisis in the North African state.

They called for suspending arms supplies to warring parties in the country as well as mercenaries. The countries attending the conference also called for disbanding the militias active in Libya and starting a ceasefire in preparation for finding a settlement to the conflict.

Nevertheless, the same countries conceded that settling the conflict in Libya would not be easy. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said she did not expect the conference to solve all the problems in Libya. Settling the conflict, she said, would need more consultations and meetings.

Commitment and follow-up

Merkel said the countries attending, namely Egypt, Russia, France, Italy, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as well as international organizations, agreed on the need for abiding by the recommendations of the conference and implementing Resolution no. 1970, which was issued by the Security Council in March 2011. This resolution imposes an arms embargo on Libya.

However, Merkel said the countries attending the meeting did not specify sanctions for those who will not abide by the same resolution.

If anything happens, she said, the names of the countries doing this would be declared in preparation for action against them.

Merkel revealed that a meeting would be held between Libyan National Army Commander, Khalifa Haftar, and Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj.

Challenges

There are fears that nobody will abide by the same resolution which has been breached by some countries, even as it has been in place since 2011. Turkey keeps sending Syrian hirelings to Libya. This is something French President, Emmanuel Macron, warned against.

There is an urgent need, he said, for stopping militants from going to Libya.

Turkey is now the main source of unrest for Libya. Its support of the militias operating in the country may expose it to tough sanctions.

Complicated situation

Political science professor, Nourhan al-Sheikh expected the recommendations of the Berlin conference to be sent to the Security Council.

The council may issue a binding resolution for all parties, al-Sheikh told The Reference.

She added that the situation in Libya is very complicated.

This is why nobody can expect how things will develop on the ground, she said.