The planned “Berlin Conference” on Libya will be delayed until at least November, or even as late as early 2020 according to some reports, despite originally being slated for this October. Germany is now looking to hold a pre-conference meeting with international states involved with the Libya crisis, excluding Libyan actors.
On 11 October, the UN Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, said he remained hopeful that the Berlin Conference would lead to a UN Security Council resolution preventing foreign countries from escalating the crisis in Libya through a proxy war, as well as the implementation of mechanisms to enforce the arms embargo. In an interview he stated, “Expressions of hope and encouragement and verbal support are not what I’m looking for – I’m looking for a clear expression of the will to end the war in Libya.” He added that the current system of reporting violations of the arms embargo was failing to deter illicit activity and called for the sanctions committee to be quicker and more reactive in their reporting. He added that the countries where those weapons are produced or bought should commit publicly to stop any transfer of arms to Libya.