The Diplomat in Spain

Sapnish Foreign MInister, García-Margallo./ Photo: Moncloa.

The Diplomat. Madrid

Spain supports the Italian proposal so that the international coalition against the terrorist group Daesh, which calls itself Islamic State, acts in Libya too, according to a statement made yesterday in Paris by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo.

Although the idea has not been discussed in depth yet, it was laid on the table by Italy during the meeting held in the French capital by the ministers of Foreign Affairs of 22 of the 62 countries making up the coalition, along with representatives of the UN and the EU. The coalition has been working for nine months trying to stop the advance of jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

The Spanish Government, which has been actively involved in the search for solutions to Libya’s situation, considers the proposal to be appropriate because –as the minister told the journalists- it is important that the coalition, as such, starts to put what happens in that country on its radar and to act urgently.

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García-Margallo backs Italy’s proposal in the international meeting of Paris

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Nevertheless, García-Margallo pointed out that “the performance will depend on the legal basis” and he added that the problem, at the moment, is that it has not been possible to consider a resolution of the Security Council, because a petition by the Government of Tobruk was missing. The international coalition considers that government entitled to make a decision, in the case of not reaching an agreement of national concord with the other Government, established in Tripoli, also claiming that legitimacy.

For 8 June, it is expected that the UN special representative for Libya, the Spanish Bernardino León, presents a new plan for the parts confronted in order to reach an agreement while the situation keeps deteriorating. Libya’s situation –the minister affirmed- is creating problems in the neighbouring countries of Tunisia and Egypt, straining the atmosphere in Mali and causing human tragedies as regards emigration, and we have to fix it”.