EU comes out with a plan to boost ceasefire in Libya

Amira al-Sharif

The American magazine, Politico, has thrown light on a blueprint by Europe to advance the ceasefire in Libya.

It said a draft 10-page document prepared by the EU’s foreign policy arm sets out a range of options to bolster a cease-fire in the volatile North African country — from offering advice to a Libyan-led effort through to deploying a fully fledged EU Military and Observation Mission, complete with land and air elements.

The document even mentions the possibility of a military mission that would have the power to conduct its own operations in Libya, with up to two EU brigades comprising between 5,000 and 10,000 personnel in total, Politico said.

But the document says this option has been “excluded at this stage,” noting “the political and physical risks” of such an operation would be “far-reaching”, it added.

It noted that some of the other options discussed in the paper would also carry major risks for the EU as a whole and for any personnel deployed to a country that has been torn by civil war for years.

“The threat level for EU military presence in Libya is assessed as very high,” Politico quotes the draft prepared by the European External Action Service (EEAS), as saying.

“This is especially true for an EU Force positioning itself between the parties to the conflict. Due to the support provided by third states and proxies, the amount of military equipment available to both parties is significant.”

One of the most prominent outside actors in Libya is Turkey, which has intervened heavily on the side of the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), further increasing Ankara’s influence in regions bordering the European Union, Politico said.

EU leaders are due to discuss relations with Turkey during a two-day summit in Brussels starting on Thursday, it added.

It further quotes the draft as noting that Turkey’s military build-up and, increasingly, direct involvement in the fighting is being matched by Russia, with the deployment of fighter jets.