MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Libya
16.9.2014 - (2014/2844(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Javier Couso Permuy, Neoklis Sylikiotis, Pablo Iglesias, Marina Albiol Guzmán, Paloma López, Miloslav Ransdorf, Sabine Lösing, Fabio De Masi, Kostas Chrysogonos, Sofia Sakorafa, Georgios Katrougkalos on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
B8‑0133/2014
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Libya
(2014/2844(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to United Nations Security Council resolution 2174 of 27 August 2014 on Libya (S/RES/2174 (2014)),
– having regard to United Nations Security Council resolution 1970 of 26 February 2011 on peace and security in Africa (S/RES/1970 (2011)),
– having regard to United Nations Security Council resolution 1973 of 17 March 2011 on Libya (S/RES/1973 (2011)),
– having regard to United Nations Security Council resolutions 2009 of 16 September 2011 on Libya (S/RES/2009 (2011)), 2017 of 31 October 2011 on Libya (S/RES/2017 (2011)), 2022 of 2 December 2011 on Libya (S/RES/2022 (2011)) and 2040 of 12 March 2012 on Libya (S/RES/2040 (2012)),
– having regard to the European Council conclusions of 23 June 2014 and 15 August 2014,
– having regard its resolution of 15 September 2011 on the situation in Libya[1],
– having regard to the Joint Statement by the Special Envoys for Libya of the Arab League, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of 26 July 2014,
– having regard to Commission Memo 14/0228 on the ENP Package for Libya of 27 March 2014,
– having regard to the Joint Report by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) of 4 September 2014 on the human rights situation in Libya,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas NATO intervention, including the deployment to Libya of the UK’s Special Air Service (SAS) in 2011 resulted in the loss of innocent civilian lives, a humanitarian crisis and heavy destruction which have led to complete destabilisation of the Libyan state and a civil war which is ongoing; whereas Libya might soon be declared a failed state;
B. whereas the armed battles among Libyan political factions which have continued almost without interruption since July 2014 in Tripoli, Benghazi and other parts of the country are leading to the further deterioration of living conditions, displaced populations and a rising death toll, including among children;
C. whereas the unity of the Libyan state is at stake and a real risk of separation exists in at least three regions (Fezzan, Cyrenaika and Tripolitania) if a compromise solution, together with a process of reconciliation, is not initiated;
D. whereas in May 2014 former Libyan General Khalifa Haftar launched the so-called ‘Operation Dignity’ to fight against the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries (SCBR), an alliance which includes Ansar al-Sharia, Libya Shield units and other armed groups;
E. whereas in August 2014 Tripoli international airport was captured by militia from Misrata (Fajr Libya) and Benghazi (Ansar al-Sharia) which were once financed and equipped to fight against Muammar Gaddafi by western countries and Gulf states;
F. whereas the arms delivered to the rebels have meanwhile spread throughout the whole of North Africa and have been used in conflicts and for the destabilisation of countries like the Central African Republic, Mali and Syria, and have also appeared in Algeria;
G. whereas the US may be considering a new intervention in Libya; whereas several night-time attacks by unidentified planes have been directed against Libya Dawn forces in Tripoli; whereas the UAE and Egypt have been accused of heading these attacks; whereas Libya has expelled the Sudanese military attaché to the country after accusing Sudan of flying weapons to rebels; whereas Libya’s western neighbours, Algeria and Tunisia, are reinforcing their borders; whereas the flow of arms into Libya is ongoing;
H. whereas Libya is still subject to the international arms embargo imposed in 2011; whereas UN officials were to report on 15 September 2014 on any infringement;
I. whereas the militia forces in Darnah and Sirte have already expressed their solidarity with the IS in Syria;
J. whereas elections took place in Libya on 7 July 2012 and on 24 June 2014; whereas the country currently has two rival parliaments, namely the House of Representatives, which resulted from the 2014 elections but was moved to Tobruk after militia forces took control of the country’s two largest cities, and the former General National Congress, which is backed by Islamist-allied militias and is based in Tripoli;
K. whereas in 2011 NATO members gave substantial support to one civil war party in the Libya conflict – which constitutes a breach of international law – claiming that the no-fly zone and the delivery of arms to (so-called) rebels would be in line with the responsibility to protect (R2P) concept;
L. whereas in July 2014 the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which was established in 2011 under UN Security Council resolution 2009, withdrew its staff from Libya because of the closure of Tripoli International Airport and the impossibility of ensuring the security and safety of the UNSMIL; whereas thousands of Libyans, international diplomats, all EU personnel and activists have since fled to Tunisia;
M. whereas the UNSMIL also estimates that at least 100 000 Libyans have been internally displaced by the fighting, including Tawerghans who had already been in displacement camps since 2011, and that a further 150 000 people, including many migrant workers, have left the country to seek refuge abroad;
N. whereas NATO members and allies (namely the US, France, the UK, Qatar and the UAE) and, inter alia, the Canadian company Aeryon Labs Inc[2]. have breached the arms embargo on Libya imposed under UN Security Council resolution 1970 in response to the continuing violence in Libya;
O. whereas in May 2013 the EU established the EUBAM Libya mission to provide military support to the Libyan authorities in border protection and control; whereas this mission’s priority is to prevent the flow of refugees and migration to Europe and to place oil fields and plants under state control; whereas with a cost of EUR 30 million, EUBAM Libya is the most expensive mission ever launched by the EU; whereas half of the budget is spent on private security companies;
P. whereas Libya has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves in the world and the largest reserves in Africa; whereas 80 % of its GDP depends on its oil sector; whereas oil production was at 1.6 million barrels per day before NATO intervened, with this figure then falling to less than 200 000 barrels per day, and it has recently increased to 725 000 with exports resuming despite the chaos in the country;
Q. whereas US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has postponed the training of 5 000 to 8 000 Libyan troops due to escalating clashes among militias;
R. whereas on 14 September 2014 the Tobruk-based parliament dismissed the president of the central bank after he attempted to prevent funds that had been allocated for the new lawmakers from leaving the bank;
S. whereas a boat filled with up to 250 migrants heading for Europe has sunk off the Libyan coast and many passengers have died, with only 36 being rescued alive; whereas more than 100 Africans died in a similar accident in August;
1. Reiterates its condemnation of the military intervention in Libya led by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada under the auspices of NATO which has led to the current situation;
2. Is strongly opposed to any further external military intervention in the country; underlines, nevertheless, the need for all parties to engage in a peaceful and political dialogue; calls on all parties to agree on an immediate ceasefire and to cease fighting as a condition to engage in an inclusive Libyan-led political dialogue in order to initiate reconciliation and help to restore stability in the country;
3. Is deeply concerned about the current economic and political division of the country, which is aggravating the fragile situation of the population; reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Libya; reiterates its support for the inalienable right of all peoples to have access to and control over their own country’s resources;
4. Deplores the increasing violence in Libya; condemns the use of violence which has resulted a high number of civilians being wounded and killed as well as displaced; calls for those responsible for violations or abuses of human rights or violations of international humanitarian law to be held accountable for their actions;
5. Encourages the countries of the region, the Arab League and the African Union to support an immediate cessation of hostilities and constructive engagement to reach a solution; supports, in this connection, initiatives such as those of Algeria in partnership with Libya’s neighbours to launch a national dialogue between warring factions;
6. Calls for the cessation of all arms exports and deliveries to Libya and the region, the cessation of arms exports to the Gulf states, and the cessation of financing to all militia by Gulf States and indirectly by western countries, meaning, in particular, the end of purchasing oil from oilfields run by militia; calls for an investigation into the breaches of the arms embargo imposed under UN Security Council resolution 1970;
7. Recalls the fact that the European Union, many of its Member States and the United States, which for decades supported Gaddafi, and later on the NATO military intervention in Libya, bear a particular responsibility for the current situation in Libya;
8. Expresses deep concern at the humanitarian crisis in Libya which has forced thousands of refugees to flee the country; encourages the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President / High Representative to make all necessary financial and human resources available to assist refugees; stresses the need to provide appropriate humanitarian aid to those displaced;
9. Calls for the EU immediately to change its policy on refugees from North Africa; reaffirms its position against Frontex and believes that, in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in Article 19(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, its operation must not result in persons being returned to Libya or any other country where their lives are at risk;
10. Calls for the EU to stop the EUBAM Libya mission, as it further militarises the Libyan border and is leading to the death of refugees; believes that the EU must send only humanitarian and civil assistance to Libya;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the presidents of the parliaments of the Member States, EUBAM Libya, the UNSMIL and the Government and House of Representatives of Libya.
- [1] OJ C 51 E, 22.2.2013, p. 114.
- [2] The Canadian company Aeryon Labs Inc. delivered Aeron Scout drones to Libya which were used to help the Libyan rebels on their way to Tripoli. The training to fly the drone was provided by the private security company Zariba Security Corporation. See http://www.aeryon.com/news/pressreleases/271-libyanrebels.html