Germany urges political solution in Libya

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Finding a political solution to the crisis in Libya is key to addressing the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint news conference alongside Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra in Berlin, Gabriel underlined that setting up refugee camps in Libya, as suggested by several EU member states, was “unthinkable” under current conditions.

“We can neither guarantee the security of people there, nor we can meet the standards required by the UN,” he said.

“What is necessary is to find political solutions in Libya, only in this way we can achieve stability in the country, and also reduce migrant flows from the Mediterranean to Europe,” he added.

Gabriel urged international unity in encouraging conflict parties in Libya to agree on a political solution, and criticized several countries for only pursuing their particular interests in Libya. He did not name the countries.

Lamamra hailed the close political dialogue between Algeria and Germany, and said Germany was an important partner for peaceful solution of conflicts in the region and in the fight against terrorism.

Algeria’s key neighbor Libya has been wracked by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of Muammar Gaddafi after 42 years in power.

In recent years, the Libyan coast has served as a transit point for thousands of undocumented migrants -- mainly from sub-Saharan Africa -- hoping to cross the Mediterranean into Europe.