The European Union discusses the outputs of the Berlin conference and does not rule out sending a "peacekeeping force" to Libya

The foreign ministers of the European Union countries are discussing today the next steps to implement a peace process in Libya, following the conclusion of the Berlin conference which called for a permanent and effective cease-fire, commitment to the UN arms embargo and an end to military support to the parties to the Libyan conflict.

Josep Borrell, the union's foreign policy official, said the bloc would discuss all options to support a formal ceasefire in Libya if an agreement was concluded in that regard, but any peaceful settlement would need real support from the union to continue.

Asked if the union could consider sending a military peacekeeping mission, Borrell said, "A cease-fire needs to be monitored ... This cannot be said as a cease-fire and then you forget about it ... someone should monitor it and manage it."

Earlier, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas - in a statement to a local German radio - indicated that the Libyan conflict settlement mechanism reached by the Berlin conference is one of its points under the responsibility of the European Union.

He added that ending the conflict in Libya would contribute to improving the conditions of the migrants detained there, noting that he had called on the head of the National Accord Government, Fayez al-Sarraj, to close refugee detention camps.

Leaders of the countries participating in the Berlin conference yesterday committed to respect the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations in 2011, and to stop any external interference in the conflict. They also agreed that there would be no "military solution" to the conflict, and demanded a permanent and effective ceasefire.

Three tracks
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, announced that the participants in the Berlin conference agreed on three parallel tracks to solve the Libyan crisis, namely the military, economic and political track.

He noted that the economic track was launched some time 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 that will study the mechanisms of monitoring the ceasefire.

Guterres revealed that consultations will also be held to return to the path of the political process, full commitment to the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law, calling on all international and regional parties to refrain from fueling the conflict and abide by arms embargoes to Libya.