Ambassadors to Libya from several EU countries and the United States warned Tuesday against attempts to derail a UN-brokered peace deal, insisting it is the only way forward. A statement by the ambassadors and special envoys of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US, along with the head of the EU delegation, came after Libya's rival parliaments announced a deal of their own that was reached without UN participation.
It urged those who still oppose the UN proposal to act "urgently and responsibly in the interests of the Libyan people, and to join the majority who want peace in unity under a stable and inclusive" national unity government. The statement echoed one on Monday by UN Libya envoy Martin Kobler on a deal announced in October by his predecessor, Bernardino Leon, after arduous negotiations, which stipulated creation of a unity government in the oil-rich North African nation.
That agreement "is the only available way to move the process forward and quickly," Kobler told representatives of the parliaments at a meeting in Tunis Monday. That deal was rejected by the internationally recognised parliament, which is based in eastern Libya, and by the rival General National Congress in Tripoli. On Sunday they announced agreement on a joint "declaration of principles" aimed at resolving the crisis that has plunged Libya into chaos since the 2011 uprising.
Kobler urged the lawmakers to join the UN-brokered process in a bid to end the conflict that has endured since the revolt that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi. In their statement, the EU and American diplomats said the original deal represents the "culmination and consensus of a year of complex negotiations between the wide breadth of Libyan participants" and "enjoys the support of the Libyan people and majorities of both" parliaments. They insisted that the "declaration of principles" was announced by a very small number of MPs from both sides and that "no last minute attempt to derail the UN driven process will succeed".
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