21 – 27 August: G7 call for international conference on Libya

Aug 28, 2019 | International actors

On 23 August, France, UK, US, Italy, Egypt and the UAE met as a part of the P3+3 countries in Paris to “study and evaluate the security and financial conditions in Libya” and discuss the plan the UN Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, presented to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 29 July. According to the French embassy in Libya, Salame also participated in the meetings.

On 26 August, the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France released a statement calling for an international conference to address the crisis in Libya that would include all regional and international stakeholders connected to the Libya conflict. In addition, it stated, “We support the work of the United Nations and the African Union to set up an inter-Libyan conference.” The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.

Egypt’s President and current Chairman of the African Union Abdul Fattah al-Sisi also urged leaders of the G7 to end foreign interference in Libya’s domestic affairs and concentrate their efforts on reaching a comprehensive political settlement, which he said could restore stability, uproot terrorism and eliminate militias in Libya. On the side-lines of the G7 summit, France and Egypt are reported to have agreed on joint efforts to preserve Libya’s state institutions and broker a negotiated agreement to the conflict.