On Saturday, for the first time, France, Germany, and Italy threatened sanctions against countries that continued to breach a United Nations arms embargo on Libya.
The threat of sanctions was mentioned in a joint statement issued by the French presidency after a meeting in Brussels, Germany.
In the joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called on “all foreign actors to end their increasing interference and to fully respect the arms embargo established by the United Nations Security Council”.
“We are ready to consider the possible use of sanctions if the breaches of the embargo at sea, on land or in the air continue, and look forward to the proposals that the High Representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy will make in this regard,” the statement said.
The threat for sanctions comes amid fears of a new escalation on the ground in Libya as the Tripoli-based government, backed by Turkey, on Saturday moved troops closer to Sirte, a gateway to Libya’s main oil terminals, which the Tripoli government plans to recapture from Haftar’s forces, backed by France.
“We share serious concerns about the mounting military tensions in this country and the increased risk of regional escalation,” they said in the joint statement. “We, therefore, call on all the Libyan parties and their foreign supporters to immediately cease the fighting and put an end to the ongoing military escalation across the country.”
Diplomats have stated European Union countries could also consider imposing sanctions on actors from both the Libyan administrations.