To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help Libya move towards peace in the short and medium term.
Answered on
5 March 2015
The growing instability, increased violence, and increasing presence of terrorist organisations, is a serious threat to Libya’s future. The UK strongly supports the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, and the UN Support Mission in Libya, to resolve the political and security crisis and pave the way for peaceful political dialogue. These negotiations should be pursued urgently, with the aim of laying the foundations for a Government of National Unity that can unite against extremism and bring stability to Libya. In parallel we are working with Libya and the international community to understand if there is more we can do now to tackle the increasing terrorist threat. Following a recent comprehensive review of all our programming activity in Libya, we have refocused our programme portfolio, providing support for political settlement efforts as the best long-term solution to the current conflict. In particular we are providing support to the Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Libyan Transition, Jonathan Powell, who is actively engaged with the UN mediation process led by Bernardino Leon.