Press release: Joint statement on efforts to de-escalate tensions in southern Libya

The governments of [France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States] strongly support the ongoing efforts of UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General(SRSG) Ghassan Salamé and the United Nations Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL) to de-escalate tensions in southern Libya and help the Libyan people chart a path toward credible and secure elections. We welcome UN leadership in convening Prime Minister al-Sarraj and “Libyan National Army” Commander Haftar on February 27 and commend the efforts of the Government of the United Arab Emirates to facilitate this discussion. We call on all Libyans to work constructively with SRSG Salamé and seize this vital opportunity to realize a stable and unified government that can deliver security and prosperity for all Libyans.

We also welcome the announcement by the Government of National Accord that parties had agreed to resume oil production at the al-Sharara field. All sides should promptly implement this agreement in order to allow the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to resume its vital work for the benefit of all Libyans.‎ These Libyan resources must remain under the exclusive control of the NOC and sole oversight of the Government of National Accord, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolutions 2259 (2015), 2278 (2016), and 2362 (2017).

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