Fighters from the rebel general Haftar pose for a photographer in Benghazi, shortly before their departure to the front near Sirte, Gaddafi's native city
Photo: ABDULLAH DOMA / AFPActually, no more weapons are supposed to get into the North African civil war country Libya, but smugglers are circumventing an international embargo at will. Now Germany, France and Italy want to curb the ongoing arms deliveries with EU sanctions.
The three countries have apparently agreed on a list of companies and people who provide ships, aircraft or other logistics for the transport of weapons and thus violate the UN embargo that has existed since 2011. Specifically, according to information from EU circles, it is about three companies from Turkey, Jordan and Kazakhstan as well as two people from Libya. This is reported by the dpa news agency.
The situation in Libya is chaotic: after the overthrow of long-term ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011, the country fell into civil war.
The government in the capital Tripoli, recognized by the UN and western states, is supported with weapons and mercenaries by Turkey.
General Khalifa Haftar, an opponent of the government with his center of power in eastern Benghazi, has in turn received support from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
Sanctions should come after the summer break
All attempts to mediate in the conflict have so far been unsuccessful, including a Libya conference in Berlin in January. A solution is also in the interests of Germany, France and Italy, because the chaotic conditions favor the business of smugglers who smuggle migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.
According to information from the dpa news agency, the list of possible sanctions against companies and people has already been sent to the other EU member states. It is to be examined by the responsible bodies of the EU Council of Ministers after the summer break. If the punitive measures come, existing assets in the EU would then be frozen. In addition, European companies are no longer allowed to do business with the companies.
Frigate "Hamburg" on the way to the Mediterranean Sea to stop arms smuggling into Libya
Photo:Sina Schuldt / dpa
France in particular had recently insisted on the sanctions after a French frigate was prevented by a Turkish warship from inspecting a suspicious cargo ship. According to the French representation, the warship even aimed its fire control radar at the frigate. Since such systems are usually only used to provide target data for the use of weapon systems, France rated this as "extremely aggressive" and was also a topic of discussion in NATO. Ankara denies the incident and has requested an official apology from France. NATO has investigated the incident - but has not yet made the result public.
The EU military mission "Irini" is supposed to curb smuggling. The Bundeswehr is involved in the mission with an aircraft and soon also with the frigate "Hamburg" with 250 soldiers.
In mid-July, France, Germany and Italy threatened sanctions for the first time. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said: "We know that both material and mercenaries are often brought to Libya via chartered ships or planes." After sanctions against individuals and companies, a second step would also be conceivable against states from which weapons or mercenaries come.
Icon: The mirrorcht / dpa