France has made the port of Marseille available to the European military operation Irini to disembark the cargoes of boats boarded in the Mediterranean as part of the control of the UN embargo against Libya, announced Friday (November 20th). head of European diplomacy.
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“
Operation Irini is going much better,
” said Spaniard Josep Borrell after a videoconference with EU defense ministers during which the provision of new military assets was confirmed. and facilities.
“
We had a part-time boat and plane to start seven months ago.
Today we have four warships and four full-time planes, and France has made the port of Marseille available to unload the cargoes from the boarded vessels
, ”said Josep Borrell.
France has also made a navy vessel available to Irini.
Calls for papers
Josep Borrell had to fight to provide this operation with the necessary means to enable it to carry out its mission of controlling the United Nations embargo.
It has multiplied the calls for contributions and worked to convince the member states of its usefulness.
"
We have provided the United Nations with space imagery and intelligence,
" he said.
Irini helped document the embargo violations committed by Turkey and Russia, two countries involved in the conflict.
The EU sanctioned in September a Turkish shipowner guilty of embargo violations by freezing its assets in the EU.
Read also: Libya: Khalifa Haftar and his army pushed away from Tripoli
The operation launched in April has a Security Council mandate.
Its area of operation in the Eastern Mediterranean was removed from the routes used by migrant smugglers in Libya and its mission was limited to controlling embargoes on arms and petroleum products.
A ship carrying fuel for military use was boarded by Irini's ships in September and the cargo was unloaded in Greece, a diplomat said.
“
To be effective, the operation needs satellites, reconnaissance planes, interception vessels, support vessels, diversion ports for boarded vessels and boats to escort them,
” he said. he explains.
"
We must ensure a turnover, which requires many contributions and several landing ports
," he stressed.
This support was important for the United Nations which managed to obtain a ceasefire between the two rival powers, the Government of National Unity (GNA) supported by Ankara and the forces of Khalifa Haftar, supported by the Arab Emirates. United and Russia in particular.
“
You have to watch him or else he won't hold up,
” warned Josep Borrell.
“
We are waiting for the United Nations to appoint a special envoy for Libya and say what their needs are.
So I will ask member states what help they are prepared to provide,
”concluded Josep Borrell.