Germany plans to host international conference on Libya

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany is planning to host an international conference on Libya, but there is still “a lot of work” to organize such a meeting, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.

“Germany wants to launch a consultation process with all relevant actors,” Maas told a news conference in Berlin.

“There is still a lot of work before we can have such a conference. But we have started working on a process,” he added.

Maas underlined that Germany strongly supports UN special envoy Ghassan Salame’s efforts for a political solution to the conflict in Libya.

“The Three-Point Plan presented by him has our full support. From our point of view, this plan is a good starting point to relaunch the political process,” he said.

Forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar launched a campaign in April to capture Tripoli from Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

Clashes between the two sides since then have left more than 1,000 people dead and about 5,500 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The oil-rich country has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a NATO-backed uprising after four decades in power.

Libya has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and the Tripoli-based GNA, which enjoys UN recognition.