The Diplomat
The Government of Spain yesterday welcomed the agreement reached last Friday by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum for the formation of a new government in the North African country.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked “the mediation of the UN”, and particularly of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya (UNSRSRSG Acting), Stephanie Williams, and recalled that “the main mission of this temporary government will be to hold elections at the end of this year and to promote respect for the ceasefire throughout Libya”.
“The Government of Spain confirms its best disposition to continue collaborating in the strengthening of bilateral relations, in the culmination of the Libyan political process and in the construction of a stable and prosperous regional environment”, it concluded. The new government agreed by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPRF) will be tasked with overcoming six years of civil war and leading the country to elections on December 24.
The government agreement could facilitate the formal reopening of the activities of the Embassy in Libya, from which Spain evacuated all its staff at the end of July 2014 because of the intensification of clashes between different armed militias. In this regard, sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated this past Friday that, although there is still “no news on the reopening of the Embassy“, the Government is waiting for the UN efforts to settle the situation in Libya, in which case the Ministry “would begin to seriously assess the possibility”.
Although officially the Embassy was not closed and there has always been an ambassador appointed for Libya, in practice, matters concerning that country have been followed for the last six years from Tunis. The Chancellery and the ambassador’s residence remained in Tripoli, equipped with adequate security measures for their operation. For the time being, the only European country maintaining a permanent embassy in Libya is Italy.
The current ambassador, Javier García-Larrache, who was appointed last July 7, has increased in recent months the frequency of his trips to Tripoli to maintain contacts with the various political and economic actors involved in the Libyan conflict. In addition, the Spanish offensive to recover its presence in the Maghreb country experienced a significant boost with the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, to Libya at the beginning of September.
