The Berlin conference agreed to respect the arms embargo and stop foreign interference in Libya

The leaders of the countries participating in the Berlin conference on the Libyan crisis committed themselves to respect the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations in 2011, and to stop any external interference in the conflict that has existed in the country for years.

Eleven countries participating in this conference - which concluded on Sunday evening in the German capital Berlin - agreed that there is no "military solution" to the conflict that is tearing Libya apart. The participants also called for a permanent and effective ceasefire.

Military encounters
Meetings will be organized between the military leaders of both parties to the conflict (the Al-Wefaq government forces and the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter) to ensure effective and lasting respect for the cessation of hostilities, and an invitation will be made "in the coming days" in this regard, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres called on both parties to the conflict to form a committee of ten military officials, five from each party, to strengthen the ceasefire.

The meeting also agreed to fully respect the arms embargo to Libya, and "this ban will be subject to stronger oversight than before," according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a joint press conference with Guterres and the United Nations Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salameh at the conclusion of the conference.

For her part, Merkel said, "We all agreed that the arms embargo to Libya should be respected, and that this embargo be monitored in a more assertive manner than in the past.

She also noted the agreement of the conference participants not to provide any military support to the conflicting parties in Libya, while the ceasefire is respected and the return to the political track.

In the context, Merkel pointed to the assertion of Turkey, Russia, Egypt and the UAE on the importance of the ceasefire and armistice, noting that this position "made it easier for the Europeans to go in the same direction."

One small step
As for the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, he said that there is "no serious dialogue" between the two parties to the conflict in Libya. He considered that the Berlin conference is a "small step" towards a settlement in Libya, and that "mistrust still prevails" between the two parties.

He added that the meeting was "generally beneficial", but the efforts of the parties concerned to launch a serious and constructive dialogue between the two parties to the Libyan conflict have not yet succeeded "due to the presence of very large differences in the approach of the two sides."

He said that the final Berlin document will be sent to the United Nations Security Council, and Russia will make sure that the Libyan opinion is taken into consideration when considering it.

Three tracks
Earlier, the Secretary-General of the United Nations announced that the participants in the Berlin conference agreed on three parallel tracks to solve the Libyan crisis, and called for a political solution, and stressed that a military solution is impossible and will increase the suffering of the Libyan people.

Guterres said that the three tracks include the military, economic and political spheres. He added that the economic track was launched a while ago and began to consider the main points related to the reform of the Central Bank and Libyan economic institutions and everything related to this field.

Regarding the military field, Guterres said that the two conferences agreed to form a military committee to study the mechanisms of monitoring the ceasefire, and that within days it will appoint its members from the Libyan fighting parties, and it means the forces of the National Accord Government and the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter.

Guterres revealed that consultations will also be held to return to the path of the political process in Libya, a full commitment to protecting civilians and respect for international humanitarian law.

He called on all international and regional parties to refrain from fueling the conflict and abide by arms embargoes to Libya.

A new path
For her part, Angela Merkel said that the Berlin conference set a new path to be a glimmer of hope for the Libyans, and its aim was to contribute significantly to supporting the United Nations efforts in Libya.

She added that there is no chance for a military solution because this will increase the suffering of the Libyan people, and that Libya needs a political solution and not a military solution.

She revealed that all the conference participants agreed and committed to not provide any support to the warring parties in Libya, and they also agreed on a binding process to ensure a truce and an arms embargo and to guarantee the right of Libyans to live in peace.

For his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that the transition from the armistice to the ceasefire was not guaranteed in the past because Haftar was placing obstacles.

He added that the parties to the conflict in Libya have said that they will try to reach a solution on closed oil ports, noting that the parties to the conflict must now be brought together to discuss the ceasefire and the transition to a political process.

"We now have the key to resolving the Libyan crisis, and we agreed to establish a follow-up committee to ensure implementation of the decisions," Mas said.