Germany, France, Italy threaten sanctions over foreign interference in Libya
The leaders of France, Italy and Germany said on Saturday
that "all foreign actors" should stop interfering in Libya and they
are prepared to impose sanctions on those violating the United Nations arms
embargo on the country.
"We call on all foreign actors to cease their
interference and respect the arms embargo established by the United Nations
Security Council", German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President
Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a joint
statement.
"We are ready to consider the possible use of
sanctions should breaches to the embargo at sea, on land or in the air
continue," the leaders said, adding they were looking forward to top
European Union officials coming up with "proposals" for the
restrictions.
International observers worry that the Libyan
conflict is in danger of spiralling into a full-blown proxy war, with the
involvement of various regional players.
Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have
soured in recent weeks over Ankara’s alleged targeting of a French frigate with
naval radars in mid-June as it sought to inspect a Turkish-escorted cargo ship
suspected of smuggling weapons to Libya.
