The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will travel tomorrow to Libya to show Spain’s support for the political process that country is undergoing after the ceasefire of August 2020, according to the Government spokeswoman, María Jesús Montero, yesterday.
“Spain is committed to peace, stability and prosperity in Libya, a country that it considers key in the relationship with its Southern Neighborhood”, Montero said at the press conference following the Council of Ministers, held at the La Moncloa Complex. According to government sources informed the Europa Press agency, Sánchez will travel accompanied by a delegation of Spanish businessmen to analyze the “great” opportunities presented by this country. Sánchez’s visit will take place two weeks after the reopening of the European Union Embassy in Libya, which is occupied by the Spaniard Jose Antonio Sabadell.
During his visit, Pedro Sánchez will be able to have his first personal contacts with the new Libyan Government, which emerged from the UN mediation process and will be headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibé as Prime Minister. The main mission of the new government in Tripoli will be to lead the political transition until the elections on December 24, which are intended to put an end to the conflict that the country has been suffering for ten years.
Last March, the Spanish Executive congratulated the new Libyan Government after it received the confidence of the House of Representatives, and expressed its willingness to “strengthen ties with the new authorities, collaborating to build a stable and prosperous regional environment”, as well as to continue supporting the UN mediation led by the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Jan Kúbis.
The election of the new Libyan government represents “a decisive step towards the consolidation of the political process, which will culminate in the elections at the end of the year”, continued the Spanish government, which stressed that the new Libyan interim government is broadly representative and includes five women, among them the first female foreign minister in the country’s history. The Foreign Ministry communiqué also praised “the responsibility demonstrated by the Parliament” in making the new Government possible, with the votes in favor of a total of 132 deputies, out of the 150 members of the Chamber.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, made an official visit to Libya last September, during which she defended the consolidation of the cease-fire and warned that “there is no military solution” to the conflict. During that visit – the first by a Spanish minister since 2016 – the head of diplomacy met in Tripoli with the two main drivers of the ceasefire agreement signed last August 21, the then president of the Government of National Accord (GAN) and prime minister, Fayez Serraj, and the president of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh.
She also announced to the press that the Government’s wish is to reopen the Spanish Embassy in Tripoli when there are “minimum conditions of stability to be able to fully resume its functions”. The Embassy was evacuated on July 31, 2014 and, since then, the ambassador has exercised his functions from Tunis, where he still remains. Spain is keeping the residence and the chancery in Tripoli open while waiting for them to be reoccupied. The current ambassador, Javier García-Larrache, appointed in July 2020, is constantly on the move to Tripoli.
